Dark Angel
by Yeshua
Summary: [Xenosaga Episode 2] This story is based on the theory that chaos is behind everything that goes on. This is the tale of what happens in Ep. 2 along with some original things as well. Enjoy chaos's decent into madness. [Last chapter before the Epilogue!]
1. Ego

**Title:** Dark Angel

**Characters: **All of the characters in the game, but mostly focused on chaos.

**Plot:** (Xenosaga Episode II) What if chaos was really behind all of the events that went on in the games? What will happen when Shion and the others realize that their ally is really in fact a traitor?

**Rating:** PG-13 (Just to be safe)

**Author's Note:** Alright, this chapter's going to open up everything that's going on…sorta. Also, this follows Episode 2's storyline, meaning that there is going to be big spoilers, if you hadn't played through the entire game.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters in Xenosaga Episode 1 or 2. But if I did, chaos would be a sexy model. (Don't ask.)

**

* * *

**

**Prelude: Ego**

Second Militia

12:59 P.M.

chaos:

"Archangel, we are awaiting your next command."

I cracked one weary eye open and gazed at my bedside table. There was a small screen hovering over it with the slightly fuzzy visage of Inquisitor Margulis, of the U-TIC Organization. I had to wonder why in heaven or hell's name he was calling me during my nap time.

"Damnit, Margulis, what do you want?" I snapped, my voice cracking with fatigue.

"I apologize, Archangel, but I had to make you aware of the situation."

_Situation, my tight little butt. You don't wake people up in the middle of much needed sleep. _Nevertheless, I sat up and pasted an expression of placidness on my face.

"If you are talking about the realian, then I already know about the U.M.N. examination. There is nothing further that I need to know."

Which was true. The way Jr. and MOMO kept running their mouths about it, I knew plenty enough.

"My apologies, Archangel. I'm just concerned, that's all."

_Concerned? About what?_ Everything was going just fine, according to Wilhelm's Compass of Fate.

"You know, it's not like you to show concern, Margulis. Just focus on what you need to do. I can handle the rest."

"Just remember that people are watching."

A small smirk tugged at the corners of my pale lips.

"Someone's always watching, Margulis. I am one of many actors in this twisted play. Let me know if any developments come up, especially if it's from the Patriarch."

Margulis bowed in front of the screen.

"I won't fail you, Archangel."

_You better not, fool, or you'll truly know the extent of my powers._

"Goodbye," I muttered as I pressed a button on the table.

The screen instantly shifted from Margulis's face to the normal blue U.M.N. screen. In the right corner sat the time. 1:00 P.M. MST (Militian Standard Time). Well, I can't go to sleep now. I imagine that Gaignun Jr. would call for me soon.

"Master chaos, you have a call from the Kukai Foundation."

_I spoke too soon._

"Patch him through."

I ran my hands through my silky hair, smoothing it back from its disheveled state. After a moment or so, Jr.'s pale face appeared in the screen on my bedside table.

"Wow, chaos, you look like a gnosis hit you."

_Ha, ha, very funny._

"I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humor."

"Well, I need to meet you in Sector Two of Second Militia. I want to see if I can find Shion."

Ah yes, Shion. She was supposed to be turning KOS-MOS over to Vector's Second R&D Division. It was a terrible shame that she had to turn over the battle android. I liked having her around, outside of my personal evil desires.

"Are you sure you can't do that on your own?" I asked softly.

_No._

"Come on, chaos. Live a little. I'll keep on bugging you until you go."

_Gods, help me._ I considered sending my energy through the network so that I could fry Jr., but I thought the better of it.

"Fine, Jr. I'll be ready in a few minutes, ok?"

* * *

Twenty Minutes Later 

chaos:

I pulled my gloves back onto my hands as I walked into the Second Sector of the giant city known as Second Militia. (A/N: Don't ask.) The sound of people talking all at once filled my sensitive ears, making me quickly regret that I had left the apartment building. I didn't mind being around people, but I couldn't take a lot of noise. It was hard to keep the calm façade with a lot of other factors around. I longed for the time that I spent on Gaignun's private beach. It didn't matter that it was simulated, it was still very peaceful.

"Hey, chaos. It took you long enough!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the Little Master of the Kukai Foundation.

"Sorry, Jr., I was a little tired from our travels."

I don't recall you conjuring energy to keep the Elsa from burning up in orbit. Speaking of the Elsa, I wondered how Captain Matthews was doing. I needed a little favor…

"Well, I can't blame you. Come on, let's go into Moby Dick's Café."

_Moby Dick's Café? How original._ Yet, I was in no mood to argue, my stomach made sure of that. I followed Jr. through the doors into the Café.

"Wow! Just look at this place, chaos! It's perfect! It feels just like the Pequod, doesn't it?"

Random typical outburst by Jr. I ignored his comments and continued up the stairs until I saw Shion.

"Shion!" I said, adding excitement to my voice.

Shion gave us both a bewildered look.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Well, we were…uh…starving, so…"

_Nice lie, Jr._

"So, we ended up here," I finished.

"So, you all know each other?"

I followed the source of the voice to a man standing behind the oak bar.

"Y-Yeah…kinda."

Shion was acting very erratic today.

"Kinda? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Shion shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I was just a little rattled."

"About what?"

I was known to answer a question with a question, but Shion was definitely stealing my title today.

"Shion's just got family matters on her mind today, right?" The man behind the bar asked.

Family matters. How trivial. I could feel a scowl tugging at my lips. I can't remember my family. It's been so long.

"Excuse me for a second, you guys. I need to clear my head for a while. Jr., order me a plate of curry, would you?"

I went down the stairs and outside of the door without a word.


	2. Nostalgia

**Author's Note:** This was supposed to be a flashback chapter, but I wasn't sure how to work it out. Anyways, enjoy. Disclaimer is on the prelude…and nothing has changed.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Nostalgia**

chaos:

_I was one of the more successful clones produced by a man called Anima. Anima was known for tinkering in things no ordinary person shouldn't. He reminded me a lot of Joachim Mizrahi. He was also responsible for inventing the powerful E.S. weapon called the Vessel of Anima. But I digress._

_As I was saying before, I was one of the more successful clones made by him. I was also the most unique—with fair brown skin, deep glassy green irises and silky silver hair. Not only that, but I had more than my fair share of power. Heavenly power, Anima called it. My powers made me Anima's favorite out of the small group of clones he produced. Believe it or not, there was another clone that he held dearer than me and that was the female called Azaria._

_Azaria was my sister and someone I could confide in when I was feeling lost. And that was quite often. You see, special precautions had to be made around me. My youth made it hard to control the powers that coursed through my body. That in turn, made my other brothers hate me to death. Which often put me at the head of ridicule._

"_Azaria," I would whine as I ran into her bedroom._

"_chaos, calm down."_

_Azaria ran her hands through my silky hair, trying to calm me down by herself. Which wasn't working too well, since I was literally bawling._

"_But…but… they said mean things, A-Azaria."_

_Azaria wiped my tears away with a tissue, her features becoming steadily grim._

"_chaos, calm down before your powers activate. You know how Anima will react. As for your brothers, Ignore them."_

_I looked up at her with a frown on my face._

"_But I just can't ignore them."_

"_chaos, remember. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Now, get that frown off of your face."_

_Frowns are unbecoming of me, Azaria used to say. Sticks and stones, huh? I tried to keep that in my young mind the next day. My brothers thought it would be funny if they ambushed and beat me up outside. Of course, they noted that my flawless brown skin was very sensitive to sunlight. So naturally, I had to go through the agony of multiple sunburns all over my body. Azaria was furious when she saw the damage. I swear, her anger multiplied with each scream of pain I uttered._

_Fortunately for me, I healed fast. A funny thing happened that night as I lay across the medical bed, specially designed for me. My mind became clouded with thoughts of violence, which was a definite first. I was known as the gentle giant amongst the people who had contact with me. I was voted most likely to not hurt a fly, for heaven's sake. Part of me wanted to see my family squirm in pain and fear. It didn't matter if they died while I exerted my independence. Would Azaria approve? I shook my head slowly. No, she wouldn't. Did I really care that she would be disappointed in me?_

Oh, she'll get over it, chaos. Do what must be done. Do what must be done…?

_A smirk tugged at the edges of my pale lips. I liked the sound of that. I pulled myself up into a sitting position and pulled the IV out of my right hand gently. I didn't care much for IV's. They knew I was perfectly healthy and yet, they continued to pump strange fluid into my veins. I scanned over my body and found that they had me in a loose fitting gown. I didn't like it, but it would do. If I went back for my clothes, I would probably lose the resolve to kill my other siblings._

"chaos, are you ok? You're scaring me!"

_Wha?_ My gaze fixed onto the worried face of none other than Shion Uzuki. _Just how long had I been daydreaming?_

"Shion…it's ok."

"You were so pale…and your eyes…"

"What about them?" I asked.

"They were bloodshot…for like a moment."

Honestly, I was hoping that she would say that they were unfocused. But bloodshot…that wasn't good. I didn't want her to worry, so I pasted a neutral look on my face.

"Don't worry about it, Shion. Let's just go back inside. Jr.'s probably worrying about us."

I knew it wasn't enough to dispel her fears at the moment. Nevertheless, she turned around and walked back into the restaurant. I followed after her, rubbing my arms softly to calm myself down. Something about my eyes being bloodshot sent shivers down my spine. I walked up the stairs and sat down at the table in front of a steaming hot plate of curry. Curry that smelled absolutely heavenly, but after one delicious bite, made my stomach do a gymnastics routine. I gently sat the spoon on the plate and fixed my attention on the conversation Jr. and Shion were having.

"How's MOMO? Is she done already?" Shion asked.

"They told us the main examination will start tomorrow. There don't seem to be any problems," I said simply.

"We had some free time, so I managed to persuade chaos to visit the city."

_That sounds about right._

"I see," Shion muttered.

"What about you? Did you turn over KOS-MOS already?" I asked.

Shion's gaze drifted down to the table. _Uh-oh, I sense drama._

"Uh, yeah. I had Allen take over the process. It might take some time, though, depending on what else pops up."

"Did something happen over there? You don't look very happy," Jr. commented.

_Yeah, she doesn't._

"You know how it is. We've been together for a long time, so saying goodbye is…well, you know."

_I know how that feels._

"Hmm. That tough, huh?" Jr. asked.

"Well, yeah. Think about it, Jr. What if you had to give up your precious Kahles scope? How would that feel?" I reasoned.

Jr. would probably kill someone over that thing.

"Oh, that would be tough. My wallet and my heart would both grieve."

I smirked.

"Told you."

Shion let out an exasperated sigh.

"Please, do you really have to compare KOS-MOS to Jr.'s collection?"

All of a sudden, she got out of her chair and huddled in a corner.

"Good Afternoon, Boss."

_That voice! Jin Uzuki?_ My gaze snapped to the bar where, sure enough, Jin Uzuki was standing.

"Hey, welcome back. What a coincidence! Just now, Shion was…huh?" Boss stopped in mid sentence.

Jr. glanced down at Shion who was in the corner making some kind of motion with her hands.

"Huh? You're playing the drums?"

Shion shook her head furiously.

"Man, I give up! What are you trying to say, Shion?"

"Not so loud!" Shion shouted.

Jin walked over to the table with a slight frown on his face.

"Shion…and a voice I've heard somewhere before…"

_Oh wow, he recognized my voice._ Shion stood up, head hung partially in defeat.

"Uh, hi. Long time no see."

Jin took a seat across from me and smiled.

"I'm Jin Uzuki. I'm pleased to meet you."

It's always good to see an old friend.

"The pleasure is mine," I said softly.

"So, you're both with Shion. Tell me, has my foolish sister been causing you trouble?"

_Uh…I smell fighting words._

"Foolish?" Shion asked, venom laced in every syllable she spoke.

_Time to save Jin's ass from a violent sibling._

"Quite the opposite. You know, we're actually very much in her debt."

Jin raised an eyebrow.

"Truly? You know, you don't have to be nice because she's here."

_Nothing I can say will save you from this one._

"Jin!" Shion snapped.

"It appears I'm not very welcome here, am I?"

"I didn't say that! I just—"

"Hey, Boss. I'll have what they're having, please. Extra spicy."

"Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

"I am listening. So, what were you saying?"

"Forget it. It's just not worth it." (A/N: For those who might be confused, the last six lines were between Jin and Shion. Check the Game Script people.)

_Aw…isn't that cute?_ A few minutes of silence passed by before anyone said anything else.

"You know, you could have called me. I would have come to meet you. So, how long are you here, anyway?"

And there goes Jin.

"I-I was busy. The only reason I'm here is because I got a sudden assignment. I have to spend tonight getting ready for the return trip," Shion replied.

_Wow, Shion was lying? And I thought I was bad._

"Huh? I thought you said—Ow!"

Jr.'s comment was cut off by a nice kick in the shins.

"Shion, just tell him already," I muttered.

"Fine! I'll come back home, all right?"

_Good. Spare me all of this drama._

"Oh right. Would the two of you like to visit?" Jin asked.

_Do I get to say no?_ Jr. turned to face me.

"Well? What do you think?"

"I don't know…It's a family reunion. We'd probably just be in the way."

Jr. shot me a pleading look.

"Of course, we could also take you up on your offer. Just for a little while…"

_How do I always get dragged into doing stuff?_

* * *

Uzuki Residence, Second Militia 

Twenty Minutes Later

chaos:

"Wow, chaos! This house is made of wood!" Jr. exclaimed.

Thanks for pointing out the oblivious. I had to admit that it had been many, many years since I had seen a house made out of wood. It reminded me too much of Earth.

"Yeah and look at that! It's amazing. This place is a bookstore," I commented as we walked inside the dwelling.

Excitement was written all over Jr.'s face as he scanned the bookshelves.

"Man! This is so antique! It's too bad Gaignun isn't here to see this!"

"I knew it," Shion muttered.

She wasn't very happy again.

"Knew what?" I asked.

"Hang on, Jin. What's this? I thought you opened a doctor's office."

_Uh-oh._


	3. What Must Be Done

**Chapter 2: What Must Be Done  
**

Uzuki Residence, Second Militia

chaos:

Jin crossed his arms and sighed.

"What's with you? What happened to 'It's good to be back home, big brother?'"

_I doubt you're getting that now, Jin._

"Sure, if this were a normal home! What happened here? Don't tell me you got bored and changed professions again. Honestly, you've never kept a job for more than six months!" Shion snapped.

"In this day and age, doctors are mostly just conversation partners for the elderly. In other words, counselors. I mean, aside from mental illness, everything can be cured with medicine or nanotechnology. There's nothing left for me to do. So, why go to all the trouble of running an expensive medical practice just to chat with people? I can do that in any business and if I could sell some stuff, that'd be just a bonus."

It made a lot of sense, Shion.

"Oh, please. You just wanted to use your hobby to cut yourself a tax break. As if you actually invested much in your medical practice, anyway. And what's up with these mountains of books? There's no way these were any less expensive! Where in the world did you get them all anyway?"

It's as if they both exist to argue.

"Half of them had been resting in Grandfather's storage for years. I'm sure you at least looked through them when you were a child. The rest are from customers. There are a lot of people with obscure tastes around here, you know. Building a collection is easier than you'd think. Now, shouldn't we attend to our guests?"

_A little too late, don't you think?_ _Jr. and I were already inside the bookstore, browsing_. Jr. walked up beside me with a stack of books in his arms. One of which, I noted, had the title '_The History of the Zohar'_.

"What are you doing, Jr.?" Shion asked.

"I thought I'd go ahead and get these," Jr. answered.

"Uh…Jr., let's go inside," I suggested softly.

"Come on, what about these?"

"You can buy all the books you want later. Come on!"

_Yes, because I want to buy that Zohar book._

* * *

Fifteen Minutes Later:

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

_Poor Shion._ It was sad how her parents died, but it was even sadder how she took it out on Jin. Yet, I made no comment, for it was not in my place to do so. Shion got up and walked toward the screen door.

"Either way. I'm still not going to their graves," She stated before exiting the room.

Jin got up and started back into the bookstore. Jr. and I followed after him silently.

"Well, I'd better get going. They're probably waiting for me, so I…" Jr. said softly.

Jin turned to face Jr. with a solemn look on his face.

"I'm very sorry you had to see that. It's a little embarrassing."

"Oh, don't worry. Are you guys ok?"

_I would like to hope so after that._

"Oh, yes. We're still brother and sister, after all."

Well, I had a lot of business to take are of. It would be a lot more convenient if I stayed with the Uzuki's. I could keep an eye on brother and sister, Margulis and the Second Militian Government.

"I'm sorry, but would you mind if I stayed here tonight, Jin? Of course, I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding at all, chaos. Please, you are welcome. Shion will be delighted you're staying."

Jr. nodded in agreement.

"Well, it's all right with me. MOMO isn't getting analyzed 'til tomorrow. Just come by then and we should be ok."

"I will. Thanks."

I watched Jr. exit the house with a soft smile. _Good, Little Master's out of my hair._

"Jin, I will be out for a little while, ok? I have much needed business to take care of."

"As do I, dear friend."

I exited the house and walked back on the path to the city. The sound of many people talking all at once filled my sensitive ears. It was back into the sea of people in order to reach the government offices. Representative Helmer was long overdue for a visit from me. It didn't take me long to find the offices…after all, it was the only needle shaped building in Second Militia. I could go through all of his secretaries, but that would take forever.

I'm the calm, insightful chaos who is always there to talk. I had the feeling that Jin would want to have a chat. (And I can never be late for a talk.) I focused my energies up the surface and formed a mental picture of Helmer's office. Within seconds, I was standing on the plush blue carpet of Helmer's large scale office.

"Welcome back, Yeshua."

I winced and ground my teeth together. _I hate that name._

"Wilhelm, where is Helmer? And why are you here?"

The chair that normally sat behind Helmer's deck turned around, revealing the pale, thin figure of Wilhelm, CEO of Vector.

"He had to step out for a moment. And as for me being here, I wanted to get a little fresh air."

_You leave the safety of the Dämmerung for fresh air…_

"I have to admit, you are the last person I wanted to see today."

"Yeshua."

_There was that name again._

"Stop calling me that, Wilhelm. I prefer the name chaos."

Wilhelm closed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Why not, Yeshua? Anyways, I have some information for you."

_Information?_

"Spit it out, Wilhelm. I'm not going to hang around all day. I have things to do."

"But of course. Albedo is going to make contact with MOMO somehow tomorrow."

That shut my mouth completely. I knew Albedo wasn't totally out of the picture in this twisted play…but so soon…

"Do you know exactly when he'll attempt it?"

I doubt the Compass of Fate would tell him that much. Wilhelm shook his head lightly, causing his blonde hair to fall across his face.

"Sadly, I do not Yeshua…I don't like the feeling I get about this situation."

_I don't like the feeling you get from telling me about this either._ MOMO had the coordinates for the transfer column to Old Militia. Old Militia…where the original Zohar rested.

"Can't we cancel it? We're going to put a lot of people in danger if we let this continue."

I wanted nothing more than to call it off, despite the fact that it would make the U-TI Organization very suspicious.

"chaos, you know that we can't manipulate the hands of fate. What goes on must go on, despite how painful it is."

"That's what you said when the gnosis attacked the Kukai Foundation. I could have saved all of those people and yet, you wouldn't let me."

"They were destined to die."

"I hate death!" I shrieked.

_Wow…an emotional outburst. That's so not like…me._

"I know you don't," Wilhelm stated calmly.

"These people befriended me. I can't let anything happen to them."

"Even you can't prevent that, Yeshua."

_I will damn well try, Wilhelm._

* * *

7:58 P.M. Sunset

Uzuki Residence, Second Militia

chaos:

I set out for Jin once I walked back onto his property. I needed someone to talk to after all the information I absorbed from Wilhelm and Helmer. I hate knowing what will happen in the future. Either way, I would continue to survive thanks to my unnatural powers. I stumbled upon Jin's location on the outer perimeters of the house and paused. He was deep in thought.

"Are you all right?"

"Sounds peaceful, doesn't it?"

_Time for a thought provoking conversation. Good. I needed to have one._ I carefully sat down next to him and glanced up at the night sky.

"On nights when I can't sleep, I find it easier to relax here," Jin commented.

"It's Shion, isn't it?" I asked.

"Well…yes. It's been two years since we've seen each other. I've always thought of her as a child, but she won't…"

He laughed softly.

"So, what is it you want to ask me? You've got something on your mind."

I had a lot on my mind really. More than half of which I couldn't discuss. But there was something…

"Um, Jin. About U-TIC, are you still…"

"It's like so long ago, but it feels like it was only yesterday. It seems that fate won't allow me to escape that curse. Or, perhaps I brought it upon myself."

There was a small pause before he continued.

"The human race began its existence as a simple flock of hunters and gatherers. Eventually, we learned to control fire, and from fire, we obtained the powers of the blade. Our consciousness constantly changes from its unending search for the future. When a man finds a guiding light, he runs to it, sometimes forgetting its true nature in the process. Perhaps we humans are like moths. Aimlessly flitting around the inviting candlelight, unaware of the outcome that awaits us."

_That was so deep…and somehow comforting._ I watched silently as he placed his hand near the candle in front of him.

"Jin…" I uttered softly.

He stood up.

"I'm sure she's caused you all kinds of problems. I know she's a problem, but please, take care of her for me."

_You act like you're never going to see her again._

"It's not like that," I protested.

"I…I wasn't able to be with her when she needed me most. And now, thanks to that, I still can't let myself get close to her again. I think perhaps…I'm afraid that if I try to get any closer, she might turn me away, shut me out…and cut me off as her brother."

I would probably act the same way if I had siblings.

"Don't worry. Shion talks about you all the time. If you ask me, she doesn't seem like the type of person who'd cut off her family," I said, trying to reassure him.

"She probably adds the phrase 'No Good' when she talks about me, doesn't she?"

_Being honest…_

"Well, sometimes."

Jin laughed.

_At least I got a laugh out of him._

"You know, it's strange. I feel like I can talk to you about anything, chaos. It's like you're much older than you look, as if you'd been alive for hundreds of years."

_I am much older than I look! I have been around for hundreds of years!_

"Oh, no. I just like to take things easy. Jr. makes fun of me for it. He always says, 'chaos, you are so slow!'"

I burst out into a fit of laughter. Jin joined in for a moment or two and turned to go back inside.

"Goodnight, chaos."

I waved.

"Goodnight, Jin."

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** My plot is actually changing a little bit. I couldn't bear to have chaos be evil…it's just not in his nature. So…I would do the next best thing: test his compassionate and caring nature. So..that's what is going to happen from now on. Any feedback on this change would be nice.


	4. In Which Fate Proceeds

**Chapter 3: In Which Fate Proceeds**

chaos:

_I crept down the long hallway to my brother's rooms, forming a small scheme in my mind. My room was separate from my brother, thanks to a certain incident that rendered me an insomniac for several days. My siblings thought it was funny, but Anima didn't. I didn't exactly hear what he did to punish them, but ever since then, they've been on a mission to hurt me._

Ha, the jokes on them.

_Today, I was going to finally get revenge. I paused in front of the door and reached out for the keypad._

"_chaos, what are you doing?"_

_I whipped around at the sound of the voice. Azaria was standing the doorway that I had just emerged from._

"_Um…uh…I was just going to see if my brothers are up, Azaria."_

Oh brilliant, chaos. You can't even lie straight.

"_chaos, you don't have to lie to me. Now, what are you doing?"_

_I couldn't lie to Azaria. She was the only one who trusted me. Gods…she was my friend._

"_I was going to teach them a lesson for hurting me, Azaria."_

"_Teach them a lesson? chaos, that's not going to make things better."_

_I snorted._

"_Yes, it would. It would make them stop hurting me!"_

"_chaos, don't stoop to their level. That's what they want."_

"_Are you going to keep telling me that until I die? Until they kill me?"_

_Azaria gave me a disappointed look._

"_chaos…I didn't mean it like that."_

It didn't matter what you meant.

_Now I really wanted to just run back into my room._

"_You don't understand! You just don't understand!"

* * *

_

My eyes shot open as I turned over onto my back. I wished I couldn't dream about my past. I really wanted to find closure…but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. I considered developing an addiction to caffeine. I mean, it wouldn't hurt. I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. I have to get myself together…if not for only my sake. I slid out of bed and headed for the chair with my clothes in it. (A/N: I can hear fangirl's screaming…)

Well, I hope I had enough time to take a walk before MOMO's examination. I honestly didn't want to go. Albedo's imminent arrival meant trouble for all of my friends. I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with that. I stepped into my body suit and zipped it up. As usual, I would have to play the part. I pulled my gloves and my boots on and secured them. _There is truly no rest for the weary._

Jin allowed me to stay in the spare bedroom near the area we were at last night, which was terribly nice of him. Shion would stay under my care…as promised. I walked out of the room and outside, narrowing my eyes at the sudden river of light.

"Oh, chaos, good morning."

That was Shion's voice. And she was in some new clothes…_oh…wow…_

"Good Morning, Shion," I replied.

"You look like a different person when you're not in uniform," I added quickly.

Shion gave me a puzzled look.

"Oh? Does it look bad on me?"

_Oh, gods, no. You look…_ (A/N: chaos is still a guy. Come on, people.)

"Oh, not at all. You look great."

Shion giggled.

"Thanks."

"You sure you want to leave without saying goodbye to your brother?"

"Yeah, we talked yesterday. Honestly, I don't know what I would say if I saw him. You know, I'm sorry I can't be there for MOMO's analysis. I've just got a lot going on right now. I can't be there for MOMO's analysis. I've just got a lot going on right now. I can't leave Allen by himself. Plus, I'm worried about KOS-MOS, too."

_I can understand your concern._

"It's all right. Don't worry about it. The analysis itself isn't all that problematic. Besides, everyone from the foundation will be there."

"Ok, wish MOMO good luck for me."

"Sure thing. See ya, Shion."

I started off onto the path to Second Militia's U.M.N. control center. I had to admit that I was a bit nervous about going. I couldn't dispel the fact that something bad was going to happen. This was not my day. I reached the U.M.N. Control Center moments later and walked into the air conditioned space. People were moving all about the hallway, no doubt on break before the analysis began. As I walked inside the main office area, I fought back the urge to scream '_There's a hacker that's going to hack into the system soon!_' Wilhelm would chew me out about doing that…so it wasn't a good idea. I might even incite a riot if I do it right though. (Sweet.) I walked behind the row of desks in the back of the room to a pale colored door on the right.

The sound of voices stopped me from opening the door.

"To Sakura?"

"So I'm going to treat MOMO like a real girl."

Ok…that was Jr.'s voice. And what was he talking about? Who was he talking to?

"What sort of promise?"

"She asked me to look after her mother and sister."

_Mother and sister?_

"Please doctor. I'd like you to smile again. I'm sure that's what Sakura would want, too," Jr. added.

_Ok, that's enough chatting for today._

I pressed the open button and walked inside the room. Juli Mizrahi, wife to the infamous scientist, passed me as I walked in, looking very unhappy.

"Did I interrupt something?" I asked.

Jr. shook his head slowly.

"Nah, nothing like that. Tell me, how's Shion? She all right?"

"I don't think there's anything to worry about. But that family does have issues."

_Like mine used to have._

"A complicated relationship, huh? Well, I certainly know what that's like."

_So…do I._

"It looks like there's still time before the analysis starts. I wonder what the others are doing."

"MOMO is already in the analysis room getting ready, Ziggy is…I think he was going to get maintenance on his body before the analysis starts."

"Well, let's go."

We exited the room together, went through the main office and to the last doorway in the entrance hallway. I stopped Jr. right in his tracks just as I started hearing voices.

"chaos, why are you?"

"Shh!"

"How do you feel?" Mizrahi's voice.

"Dr. Mizrahi?" Ziggy's voice.

"MOMO asked me to do it. She said '_Mommy, you're a famous scientist, so I bet you know all about cybernetic engineering._'"

"Ah, I'd prefer…"

"I'm not a young woman. Don't let it bother you. A…famous scientist? Perhaps, infamous is more appropriate."

"You seem to have difficulty dealing with MOMO. Why?"

"Could you love something that looked like your own daughter, but wasn't?"

"That is a difficult question."

"Merely creating something to look like my daughter won't bring back her soul. And with 100-Series Realians scattered all over this star cluster, they all serve as a constant reminder of her death."

"Was it your husband's idea to make the 100-Series look like her?"

_Funny…I did not notice that._

"Yes. Do…you have a children?"

"A son. He was a healthy intelligent boy. I lost him in an accident."

_That had to hurt._

"I'm sorry. Is that why you committed suicide?"

_He committed suicide? My gods…_

"Yes it is."

"Perhaps I, too, should have done the same when my daughter died. But instead of grief, my heart was filled with anger towards my husband."

"You seem to be a very strong person."

A sigh.

"No. I'm just stubborn."

"Dr. Mizrahi, this is just an idea, but why don't you imagine you had two daughters?"

"What do you mean?"

"One that passed away and one that's still alive."

"So you think I should start treating MOMO like another daughter, instead of merely a copy of Sakura. You sure know how to pose a difficult challenge."

"Please consider it."

"I'll think about it. Well, I'd better go."

"Thank you for the maintenance."

"You're welcome."

I pulled Jr. away from the door and placed an innocent look on my face. Dr. Mizrahi walked out of the room moments later with a very thoughtful expression on her face. After she walked out of sight, Jr. and I approached the door again.

"All right, you can come in now. I believe I told you eavesdropping wasn't very admirable."

_How did Ziggy know we were out here?_ I pressed the button to open the door and walked in.

"We weren't doing it on purpose. Still, I gotta say, old man, you are full of surprises."

A look of confusion spread over Ziggy's features.

"What do you mean? I'm not following what you're saying?"

"Yeah, whatever."

_Hmm…something sounded strange._

"Anyway, isn't it about time for MOMO's analysis to begin? You can't afford to be standing around here, wasting your time."

"Oh, crap. We'd better get back."

Moments later, we were standing in front of the double doors leading to the analysis room.

"I apologize for the wait. Preparations for the analysis are now complete. Are you ready?"

_Not really._

"Yes."

"Then please go in."

The double doors slid open, revealing a room full of computers. People from the foundation as well as Dr. Mizrahi were setting into their respective spots as we walked in. I ignored the growing weight in my stomach and fixed my attention on MOMO, who was standing in the middle of a large chamber outside of the room.

"Just relax, okay MOMO? This is the initial preparation for the analysis," Mary said softly.

"Thank you. I'll do my best," MOMO replied.

I watched as she glanced at Ziggy and giggled.

"You know, I'm self-adjusting model. I've never had maintenance like this before. So, I guess this is what it feels like when you do it, Ziggy."

I frowned a little as a blue field surrounded her, causing her body to float up.

"Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of," Ziggy said reassuringly.

MOMO nodded.

"We will be shutting down your artificial personality layer during the analysis. Your artificial emotion and abstract cognitive functions will temporarily cease to function, but please do not be alarmed," announced one of the 100-Series Realians present.

Let's just say a frown was a lot more evident on my face now. MOMO placed both of her gloved hands on her heart.

"Artificial emotion?" She whispered.

I heard her voice clearly and I could sense her pain. Pain so acute that it was hard to ignore…

"Since your artificial personality is an option for interpersonal interaction, this procedure will have no effect on your observation functions."

There was that Realian again.

"My heart is just an optional function?"

_MOMO…_

A sharp pain caught me in my side, making me hiss in pain. Jr. cast me a worried glance for a moment or two and turned his attention back to MOMO.

"MOMO…" Ziggy said sadly.

MOMO reached her hand out towards Ziggy.

"Personality Sleep Mode activated. Shutting down."

The Realian again. The pain faded…but in a way...I could still feel it. I didn't like this analysis. I didn't like it at all.

"So, how is it going?"

_Huh? Helmer?_ I must not have noticed the door opening.

"They're having a pretty hard time preparing for MOMO's analysis. As if the protection on her wasn't complex enough, some of her routes were damaged in that last hacking attempt," Mary muttered.

Jr. frowned.

"I see. So her personality layer is deactivated."

"Yeah, it's kinda painful, like we're doing something terrible to her. It reminds me of when we were on Old Militia, kept on constant meds. I felt totally empty inside then. I really hated it."

"Yeah…"

"We humans might be shameless at times, but that's still how we feel. I think if someone told me that my heart was just a fake, I'd really be hurt."

"Even our hearts might be nothing more than playthings created by god."

Jr. shook his head and started walking away. Shelley turned around with a questioning look on her face.

"Little Master, are you sure you don't want to be here?"

"I can't watch. I'm scared."

"Little Master…"

_Jr…_

"I'm a…coward."

_Don't be this way, Jr. You're the bravest out of all of us._

"The analysis is getting ready to start in approximately one minute."

"Just a little more, MOMO. Just a little more and it'll be all over, okay? We'll all go someplace really fun after this," Mary whispered.

_Nothing you could do will take the trauma out of this. I'm amazed that would try._

"Final barrier decode pattern decrypted. Initiating complete protection removal."

"MOMO…"

All of a sudden, an alarm sounded and screens filled with MOMO's face appeared all over the control room.

"S…top…" She stammered.

_No!_

"MOMO! What is it? What are you trying to say?" Mary asked.

"It's…a…tr…ap…"

_No! Albedo!_

The blue field around MOMO turned red instantly as the 100-Series Realians collapsed.

"This can't…" Dr. Mizrahi whispered.

"Interference is manifesting from unobservable space!"

"Barrier logic destruction, 68! Emergency cutoff! Cutoff Refused! A terminal has been opened to the U.M.N. network! Unable to determine the intrusion route!"

"Multiple axon connections advancing within the subconscious domain! A large-scale holographic network is being established!"

Dr. Mizrahi gasped. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to focus on something else. _Wilhelm was right…gods…he was right…_

"Dr. Mizrahi, what's happening?" Ziggy asked.

"No wonder we didn't find anything, we were analyzing each system separately. Each layer itself is a law-resolution fragment, like scattered bits of memories. It's only when they all become active at once that the whole image comes together. Joachim's pulled off a grand tromp l'oeil. Try the cutoff again! Reestablish defensive logic against the eternal hack attempt!"

"Right! Attempting to restart defensive logic!"

"Denied!"

"MOMO!" Ziggy and Mary shouted.

"I'm…sorry…I…didn't know…" MOMO pleaded.

"Gods! Stop it! Stop the analysis!" I shouted.

"This is…" Gaignun mused.

"There's a self-expanding trap in there. This isn't one of Joachim's designs. It's something recent—probably planted during the intrusion of the Song of Nephilim," Juli Mizrahi informed.

"This is Albedo's work."

"20 seconds to defense logic failure!"

"We're running the risk of complete data leakage!"

Dr. Mizrahi moved the U.M.N. staff out of the way of a console and sat down. Her fingers instantly started flying over the keys…

"What are you doing, Dr. Mizrahi?" Ziggy asked.

My eyes shot open in response to that question.

"I'm using the emergency control code and destroying the data."

_Destroy the data?_

"You can't! If you do that, MOMO will…"

"You have a better idea? We cannot allow the Y-Data to fall into the enemy's hand, under any circumstance!"

"Dr. Mizrahi!"

"She's not an object, Dr. Mizrahi!" I snapped.

Her hand hovered over the red button that would destroy MOMO.

"MOMO…"

"Dr. Mizrahi! The holographic network has begun to disrupt! The expanded data is disappearing!"

"What? But I didn't…"

_No…_

The monitors that had previously displayed MOMO's face began flashing a warning.

"What's going on?" Ziggy asked.

"It's MOMO. She's cutting her own neutral pathways, to disperse her memory! She's destroying her own mind to protect the data that Joachim entrusted to her."

"What?"

"MOMO!"

The red field that surrounded MOMO vanished, dropping her to the floor.

"The 100-Series Prototype has shut down!" Mary announced.

"MOMO!" Ziggy and Dr. Mizrahi shouted as they rushed out of the room to MOMO.

Imagine my shock when the monitors changed to show Albedo.

"So…I trust you like my gift."

This time, everyone heard the inhuman snarl from my throat.

"Albedo, you bastard!" My voice was almost at a shriek.

"Albedo!" Gaignun growled.

_And once again, no one notices my outbursts._

"Looks like ma pêche managed to protect Mizrahi's legacy with her own body. How very brave. However, no matter how charming in the end, she's nothing more than a puppet. A puppet waiting for a miracle to make her human, believing in all of Mizrahi's rubbish…"

"What? A puppet?" Ziggy asked.

_How dare you…_

Albedo broke out into a fit of laughter as Juli Mizrahi performed CPR on MOMO.

"You are not getting away with this!" I snarled as I sent my energy through the system to the bastard.

_How I did it…well, I won't tell my secret._ I collapsed onto the floor afterwards, reveling in the fact that Albedo was screaming before the connection was cut off.

"Dr. Mizrahi…is she?"

Darkness threatened to claim my vision…

"It's all right. I won't let her die. Injecting nanounit restoration. Ready twelve-device-activator."

_Thank the heavens…she's going to be safe…

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** I know it was a long chapter. Chapter 4 is going to be even longer, since I am going by plot and there is a lot of stuff going on in MOMO's subconscious. So be prepared for some chaos goodness and violence next chapter. Will Albedo get chaos back? Will chaos be able to play off the random uncharacteristic outbursts during the analysis? Anyways, I'd like to take my three reviewers. I love you guys! You kept my faith up, so that I will be able to keep on delivering delicious chaos goodness. Once again, thank you. And the next chapter might be in by this weekend. I graduate tomorrow so there's not much of a chance that I'll update tomorrow. I will try but don't get your hopes up.


	5. MOMO's Subconscious Domain: Summer

**Chapter 4: MOMO's Subconscious Domain Summer**

U.M.N. Control Center

12:37 P.M.

chaos:

_The Yuriev Institute for Research was located on Earth originally back when Anima was conducting his cloning experiments—namely me and my brothers. I thought of it much like a prison cell to spend my days in until I went mad. I kept myself hidden from Azaria for a few days, not bothering to come out to eat or drink. Keeping myself alive didn't matter as long as Azaria was disappointed in me. I blew my silky strands out of my face with a heavy sigh. Without my daily hairstyle, my hair had fallen out of its typical straightness._

"_chaos, what are you doing in here?"_

Anima?_ My body went rigid with fear. Now I was in trouble. I was not supposed to be in the research facility; it was banned by Anima._

"_I-I'm sorry, Anima. I-I know I should be back with Azaria," I stammered._

_Two strong hands lifted me off of the floor and sat me down onto my feet._

"_Maybe it's time…Yeshua, that you come live inside the facility with me."_

"_The facility…"

* * *

_

"Here, chaos, drink this."

I glanced up and saw Mary holding a mug above my head. I reached up and grabbed it gently.

"Thank you, Mary," I said gratefully.

"You're welcome, dear."

I took a sip of the contents of the mug and found that it was fresh tea.

"Oh no. Poor MOMO."

_Was that Shion's voice?_

"I'm so sorry. We were right there and we still let this happen to her."

That was Jr.'s voice. _Poor MOMO._ I regret not being able to do anything other than what I did.

"Her basic functions have recovered. Though she avoided death, her neural network, the rough equivalent of her brain, has been completely shattered to pieces. We need the expertise of Vector's Third Division if we stand any chance of recovering the Y-Data. This crisis isn't just Second Militia's problem anymore. On behalf of the entire government, I am hereby requesting your official assistance," Helmer informed.

"MOMO…All this to protect her father's wishes. Very well. We would be honored to assist you. Besides, MOMO is a close friend," Shion replied.

_Well said, Shion. Well said._

"Ok, people. Shion should be here in a few minutes. Let's prepare for anything," Jr. ordered.

I took another sip of my tea and stood up. I needed fresh air.

"chaos, sit tight. I need to speak with you."

I gave Jr. a confused look.

"I really need some fresh air, Jr. Perhaps we can talk later," I said quickly.

"I'm afraid you can't get fresh air. Come with me, chaos," Helmer said tersely.

_Oh fantastic.

* * *

_

Second Militia Government Offices

Twenty Minutes Later

chaos:

"What are you talking about? What reason could there possibly be for the Immigrant Fleet to deploy ships to Second Militia?"

"Now, now, let's not be so quick to judge. Let's at least hear what they have to say."

_The Immigrant Fleet? I knew about them. They were loosely connected to the U-TIC Organization. So…why were they addressing the Parliament?_

"Thank you for allowing me to the opportunity to speak. Once, in this region of space, there existed the great land of Militia. As you all know, when the unfortunate events occurred fourteen years ago, that land along with mankind's greatest treasure, was sealed away like a cursed past. That greatest of treasures originally belonged to all of mankind, and we of the Immigrant Fleet had been its caretakers for time immemorial."

_Patriarch. Wow, what a great sob story. Even I know that they wanted the Zohar for their own desires._

"Now wait just a minute. All Zohar activity currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Federation. You aren't trying to monopolize that great treasure for yourselves, now, are you?"

_Yes, they are._

"We wouldn't dream of it. All I am saying is there are those who would claim it as their own."

_Translation: Yes, I'm going to use the Zohar for my own personal gain._

"Are you insinuating that the Militian Government would do such a thing?"

I shook my head.

"Enough, Wilhelm. Turn it off. I don't want to hear anymore," I snapped.

Wilhelm nodded and pressed a button on the desk. The screen with the Representatives of the Parliament vanished into thin air, leaving only silence in the room.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Yeshua."

"The Patriarch's lying to them. He's going to use the Zohar for himself."

"Do you know that for certain?"

"Margulis has told me about the weapon they are planning to develop. It's a giant mech."

"Even so…we don't have solid proof."

_I know._

"I know. I have to have physical or visual proof."

Wilhelm sighed.

"How is the Realian?"

"Barely alive, so to speak. Helmer has asked Vector's First and Third Division to help."

"This is troubling. You know Albedo's just biding his time."

I growled.

"I'm well aware he's still around. I hope he'll like my gift as well."

"Gift? Yeshua, what did you do?"

I smirked.

"Something wonderful."

"Yeshua!"

"I have to go, Wilhelm."

* * *

U.M.N. Control Center

Ten Minutes Later

chaos:

I watched with mild interest as Shion and Allen walked into the control room.

"Shion! I thought we were getting someone from the Third Division. This is outside of First Division's jurisdiction, isn't it?"

_Thanks for the proper greeting, Jr._

"Yes. Normally the Third Division would have sent someone, but we were closer. It's just easier for me to take care of it. Besides, I've already had everything we need transported over. Don't worry, we've got the technical side covered. You can relax," Shion said, voice oozing with confidence.

Allen walked up to Shion's side.

"Honestly, chief, you're so stubborn. You know, you're gonna have a hard time with the Third Division later."

I rolled my eyes.

"Yet, in spite of that, Allen, you're still right here helping," I commented.

"What? Ah…well…I can't leave it all to the Chief, how can I?"

"Jr., we want to save MOMO, too. Or, do you think Allen and I aren't reliable enough?" Shion pointed out.

"No, no! Well, I don't know about Allen, but I'm glad you're here, Shion," Jr. said carefully.

"Hey! What's that supposed to—" Allen started.

"We're short on time. As soon as you're ready, let's go."

Shion nodded.

"Right."

She exited the room with Ziggy and Jr. on her heels. Allen sat down in a chair and sighed. I walked out of the room, ignoring the weight that had started to build up in my stomach. After each one of us took our places around the circle, Shion motioned to Allen.

"Is everyone ready to dive? MOMO's subconscious domain is likely in a highly unstable state. If there are no problems, I'll commence the dive. Are you ready?" Allen announced.

"Ready!" Shion shouted.

"All right! Then I'll initiate the dive. The dive subjects for this operation will be the chief, Jr., chaos and Ziggy. I've also arranged for KOS-MOS' data to be simultaneously transmitted from Second Division into the Encephalon. I'm sure having her around will be reassuring."

"That's good thinking, Allen."

"Our dive target is MOMO Mizrahi's subconscious domain, which is modeled after Sakura Mizrahi's memories. Like the dive into KOS-MOS' Encephalon, there is a possibility of resonant memory playbacks with those who've closely shared time and space with her."

"This time, that'd be me," Jr. said softly.

"Jr.?" Shion asked.

"Dr. Mizrahi told me that Sakura suffered from a central nervous system disorder. Did you have contact with her?" Ziggy.

Jr. nodded.

"I did. The going theory was that Sakura's symptoms were somehow connected to unusual wave pulses within the U.M.N. She was being attended to at the Yuriev Institute, where her treatments were also a part of the U.R.T.V.'s U.M.N. link training."

_Yuriev?_ Something cold snaked its way down my spine. I knew Yuriev…before…

"Sakura was the girl MOMO was modeled after, right?" Shion asked.

"I'd like to ask you something. What is U-DO, exactly? Why were you U.R.T.V.'s created? To fight it?" Ziggy asked.

_You answered your own question, Ziggy._

"U-DO is the Unus-Mundus Drive Operation system. From the name, it might sound like some U.M.N. controlled A.I., but that thing was not created by human hands," Jr. answered.

_That's a lie. U-DO was created by human hands. As was the Zohar._

"Yes. That thing…that's no A.I. Nothing that simple could have created a space-time anomaly," Shion mused.

_Well, I find U-DO being created by human hands easy to accept. Hey, even the gnosis are mini miracles themselves. For something composed completely out of salt to be so very deadly…_

"Exactly. They just picked the name because it sounded good. At that, they tried to make us believe it, too. They said it was an artificial consciousness within the U.M.N. that was carrying some kind of dangerous waves. But that was a total lie. Our father, Dmitri Yuriev, knew about it from the start."

_As do I, Jr._

"So, what is it?" Ziggy asked.

"It's energy from a higher dimension. An entity humans couldn't possibly control. It's ironic that we U.R.T.V.'s are its anti-existence, and yet we were never told what it really is."

"U-DO…" Shion muttered as she put on the red glasses designed for a dive.

The rest of us followed suit after her quietly, processing all of what we heard.

"Encephalon construction complete. We can open the interconnection at any time now," Allen announced.

"Okay, go ahead," Shion replied.

"All right everyone, just relax and enjoy the trip. And don't worry, I'm a pro at this."

"He's right. We're in good hands."

I could feel Allen's triumphant smile.

"KOS-MOS data transfer confirmed. Initiating reconstruction. All preparations for direct approach complete."

"All right. Let's go," Jr. said softly.

Within a blink of an eye, we were standing in the middle of a lush green yard with a medium-sized two story house. _Ok…this was way different from KOS-MOS' encephalon. I kinda…liked it._

"Where are we?" Ziggy asked.

"The world inside MOMO's subconscious domain. Sakura's inner world. MOMO!" Jr.

Sure enough, MOMO was sitting on a bench on the porch of the house. Jr. walked up to her…

"MOMO, you're ok! Hey, can't you hear me? Say something!"

"It's no use, Jr. She's not going to answer," Shion said softly.

"Why not? She's right here in front of us!"

"Her personality layer is offline. Plus, her neutral network's completely fragmented. She can't understand anything we say. She may not be able to even hear us right now."

"No! Damnit!"

"The MOMO you're seeing here is nothing more than a product of her own subconscious. Even if she were able to take some sort of action, it would only be a simple reflex. MOMO…even in her current state, she's trying so hard to help us."

_And your sacrifice will not be in vain, MOMO._

"What are you doing? We don't have much time. Do you want to worry MOMO even more?" Ziggy asked.

"Right. MOMO…just hang on a little longer," Jr. whispered.

_Let's get this done._

"Let's check in the house…upstairs preferably," I suggested.

I had no idea if checking the house would produce results, but it was a start. Surprisingly, no one said anything against my suggestion. We entered the house and walked up the stairs. Around the corner of the stairs was a small bedroom. The moment one of us touched the carpet, a flash occurred. When the light faded, we saw a girl sleeping in the previously empty bed.

"Is that…MOMO?" Shion asked.

"No…" Ziggy muttered.

"It's Sakura," Jr. stated.

_So this was Sakura…she looked a bit different from when I saw her._

"Rubedo…it's all dark…"

_Rubedo?_

"It's kinda cramped in here."

"I know! Just shut up for a second, will ya?"

"I'm scared. Turn the light on!"

"Cut it out! Quit movin' around so much…Ow!"

"Quit pushing, stupid!"

_Albedo, Nigredo, and Rubedo._

All of a sudden, the closet opened and all three tumbled out onto the floor.

"What is this place?" Rubedo asked.

"We must've messed up the connection coordinates," Albedo replied.

"Albedo, you stepped on my foot in there!"

"Huh? I did not!"

Shion blew a loud sigh.

"Uh-huh. That's us fourteen years ago," Jr. commented.

_That wouldn't be something I'd own up to._ I watched as Rubedo and Albedo started arguing with each other.

"That girl is our contact target. The coordinates were correct," Nigredo stated.

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up.

"That girl…she's looking at us?" Albedo asked.

The girl looked directly at the small three.

"I…I'm sorry!" Rubedo said loudly, embarrassment lining the edges of his voice.

"Ah, you guys…" Sakura said softly.

All the while, the boys were back in the closet, trying to get back to whatever they came from.

"Next time, we'll come in through the door," Rubedo said loudly.

"Wait!"

"Huh?" The trio asked.

"You guys…You can hear what I'm saying?"

The trio nodded.

"I'm…I'm so happy you came," Sakura said gratefully with a tear in her eye.

The trio approached her bed carefully. A flash of light occurred and the room was instantly back to normal, but not before we saw the phantom trio running down the stairs. Without a word, we followed them out onto the front yard, where they vanished into a glowing portal. Without hesitation, we followed them into the portal. The next thing we saw the figures of Dr. Dmitri Yuriev and Dr. Juli Mizrahi. I ground my teeth against each other. _Yuriev…that bastard!_

'_chaos, I am detecting a disturbance on your end. Do you need to pull out?'_

Allen? I had forgotten that he was monitoring our wave patterns by the computers.

'_No, Allen. I'm fine, really.'_

'_All right, chaos.'_

_I have got to calm down. I know I didn't have any pleasant memories of Yuriev…but I couldn't make people worry._

"Dmitri. Are you sure those boys are going to be able to help with Sakura's treatment?" Dr. Mizrahi asked.

"I don't believe the condition your daughter suffers from is a mere natural disorder. Therefore, contact with the anti-U-DO waveforms within the U.R.T.V.'s will be beneficial for her," Yuriev replied idly.

"Hypersensitivity to the synchronicity of the U.M.N. We never had diseases like that when the universe was still small."

A buzzer sounded.

"U.M.N. dive operation Phase Six complete. U.R.T.V. team commencing dive-out, starting from number 660. Now opening dive-pods."

There were three dive pods in particular that opened up…and Rubedo was the first to awaken. He stood right in front of his pod and looked Yuriev right in the eyes.

"That girl…that girl gave me a message. She said, 'Please tell my mother…Please tell my mother that I love her.' What else…she said, 'I got a seashell treasure box for my birthday last year. If you tell my mother that she'll understand.'"

Dr. Mizrahi approached Rubedo with a small smile on her face.

"So, the wavelengths matched up…" Yuriev mused.

"You were able to talk to Sakura?" Dr. Mizrahi asked.

Rubedo nodded.

"So, what's your name?" She asked.

"Rubedo. Uh…I mean…U.R.T.V. unit number 666."

Dr. Mizrahi knelt in front of Rubedo and held his right hand with both of her hands.

"Rubedo. Please keep telling me the things she says, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Mom…" Shion whispered.

_That's right, she does have a connection to this place…as do I._ Now, we were in one of the main entrance ways to the Yuriev Institute. The place I had grown to hate more than death…

"What is this place?" Shion asked.

"The Yuriev Institute. It's the U.R.T.V. development facility. The place where I was made," Jr. answered.

_And the place where I grew up._

"It feels strange, like time has stopped. The people here can't see us?"

"Yeah, looks like it. This place is frozen in time at a point when Sakura was alive. But why here? How do we save MOMO?"

"Hmm…it would seem that those three phantoms are the key. They look like they're leading us somewhere," Ziggy commented.

"Right, we don't have time to wonder around. Let's go look for them," Shion suggested.

Thus began our phantom chase. We followed the trio to a place where we could see a piano through a window. A flash of light told us that we were right on cue. Now, we saw Dr. Mizrahi with her daughter at the piano. Rubedo was standing in the middle of the space, watching them intently.

"Sakura…" Rubedo whispered.

Sakura continued to play the piano, undisturbed.

"She really can't talk in this world."

"That's right. The neural pathways that recognize the outside world and allow her to express herself have been completely severed. Her electric potential pulse control was determined to be unstable, but neither medicine nor nanomachine-based Glilial supplements had any effect," Dr. Mizrahi explained.

"It's weird that restoring her membrane electrical potential didn't do anything."

"Yes…but now your waveform, the particular wavelength you possess, is making up for her deficiency."

With another flash, we were back at the house we previous started at.

"I hear my dad is researching treatment for me, too. He's making a Realian that's a lot like a human, and he's gonna make it so my senses are always linked up with it. That way, I won't have to make my mom sad anymore." _Sakura…_

"Sakura, you sure have nice parents." _Rubedo…_

"What about you? Your dad is Dr. Yuriev, right? Don't you have a mom?"

_I don't have a mother either…not in the normal respect._

"Yeah, we have one. Genetically speaking, anyway. She had a healthy ovum with a perfect set of chromosomes. That's all we really know about her."

"How come you're not looking for her? Don't you wanna meet her?"

I could see the hurt in Rubedo's eyes.

"What's the point? So I can say, 'Hi! You're the mother of a bunch of genetically engineered bioweapons?'"

Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't say that. You're not a weapon. You're a wonderful boy."

"Oh yeah? The only time we can leave the Institute is when there's a war going on!"

I covered my eyes with a gloved hand. All of this was much too painful to bear. _This wasn't my memories…but I was still there…_

"Hey, Rubedo. I have a favor to ask of you."

"My little sister is gonna be born soon. She's kind of different from a normal sister. I mean, my mom won't be giving birth to her, but…my mother and sister…I want you to look after them for me, okay?"

_Sakura…how noble of you._

"Okay! If she's you sister, I'll look after her like she was my own!" Rubedo said enthusiastically.

"You promise?"

"Of course! Leave it to me—"

"Good night, Rubedo. See you tomorrow."

I moved my hand from over my eyes and sighed. Sakura walked inside the house and closed the door behind her. Rubedo wave and touched his cheek. Another flash and we were back in the courtyard. None of us said much as we followed the phantom trio further into the Institute. Another flash…and we were bathed in another memory. This time, Rubedo was throwing a harmonica up into the air.

"So, you practice along with her piano. If you're that interested in her, why don't you just stay there in virtual space? I'm sure she'd like that too," Nigredo commented.

"It's not like that," Rubedo muttered.

"Your concentration's been slipping lately, Rubedo. It's almost time for our training in the U-Do simulator. You know that, right?" Albedo pointed out.

"Hey, I know all about it. I'm the link master. I'll fulfill the mission," Rubedo said confidently.

"I can trust you, right? As long as you're here, I don't have to be afraid of U-DO, right?"

_It was amazing how different the younger Albedo was from the older Albedo. The younger was so…innocent, untainted. Just like I used to be…before I killed._

"Of course! Pull yourself together! We're the variants. Your waveform's way beyond a normal U.R.T.V."

Albedo gasped and started to cry. Another flash. Another chase. This time, the trio was facing a female U.R.T.V.

"Pleased to meet you, number 666 Rubedo. I am U.R.T.V. number 668. You may call me Citrine."

_Citrine? How original._

"668? I've never seen a female type before!" Rubedo exclaimed.

"Don't be surprised. The original fertilized eggs had born X and Y stock. I am an X-type, designed to preserve the egg's mtDNA. We'd be in trouble if the project hits a dead end with nothing but just simple Y-types."

"I'd heard there was a girls' ward somewhere," Albedo mused.

"I thought the missing number was dead," Nigredo commented.

"It's certainly true that a lot of units were disposed of. Unlike you male types, we have only nine female types remaining. It's a shame because theoretically, we are superior," Citrine said haughtily.

"Disposed of? Who do you think you are?" Rubedo snapped.

"And just who do you think you are, Rubedo? We aren't normal children, you know. Even if we lost control of our waveform and died, we wouldn't have the luxury of complaining about it."

Another flash and yet another goose chase. I was strangely fatigued by all of the information bestowed to me. But I wouldn't slow the party down. Not now, at least. A flash of light told me that we were in another flashback. Rubedo, Albedo and Nigredo were in the dive capsules, facing the other U.R.T.V.'s.

"I can't stand them," Albedo muttered.

"Shh," Nigredo hissed.

"Just look at them. They don't even have wills of their own. All of them together just form one collective consciousness. Why is everyone up to 665 like that?"

"The standard types have weak anti-waveforms. It's not their fault they were born that way," Rubedo explained.

"Ew…yuck," Albedo mused.

A buzzer sounded.

"This is not a drill. You will initiate a U.M.N. dive into the subconscious domain of the sleeping patient and repair her sensory impairment. This mission will also serve as valuable anti-U-DO training for you," Yuriev announced.

"Your descent target is a white beach. This beach is a subject image created by the patient that exists below her consciousness. Within it lies whatever is obstructing her neural connection. We want you to identify and eliminate it." _Dr. Mizrahi._

"The beach?" Rubedo asked.

"I've never been to the beach!" Albedo exclaimed.

"We'll definitely have to go sometime!" Nigredo suggested.

A few moments later, the trio fell silent.

"Why? Why are you the leader, number 666?"

"You're a variant…you're a monster!" _Judgmental U.R.T.V.'s._

Rubedo looked at his palm questioningly.

"Shut up, you losers! Don't make fun of Rubedo! Your power doesn't even come close to his!" Albedo shouted.

"That's enough, Albedo. They're not our enemies. It's all right, Rubedo. We both believe in you," Nigredo said calmly.

Instead of another flash and another chase, we found ourselves at a gas station out in the middle of nowhere. I was certainly relieved to be away from that cursed Institute…and my spirit felt much lighter for it.

"The target is the beach. We should reach it if we proceed north through the forest. Let's go!" Rubedo shouted as he ran off.

The trio was off again and it was up to us to follow them.

"Yet another goose chase," Shion muttered as we set off across the street.

A cold feeling snaked down my spine, causing me to stop in my tracks. Only one thing could make me feel uneasy and that was…

"KOS-MOS, activate Hilbert Effect now!" I demanded.

"chaos, what has gotten into you?" Shion asked.

"Activating Hilbert Effect. Gnosis materialization complete," KOS-MOS announced.

Instantly, hundreds of little orbs surrounded us, growling menacingly. I stood up carefully and considered my options. All of the gnosis could be eliminated if I knew what their weaknesses were. The little orbs formed into floating human-like gnosis and huge burly gnosis with giant axes.

"KOS-MOS, information and weaknesses," I ordered.

"The human-like gnosis are Expressions. Expected life energy: 700 units. Weakness: Zones B and B. The bigger gnosis are called Necessities. Expected life energy: 1280. Weakness: Zones B and C."

That wasn't what I need to hear. Sure, they would be easy to destroy, given my powers. I was just worried about the others.

"Everyone…are you ready?"

"Ready as we're ever going to be."

Shion shot into action to the right of me by firing several blasts of energy out of her M.W.S. A barrage of gunfire told me that Jr. was in action. I sent energy to my hands, preparing for assault. I had to admit it was wonderful to be able to get action. I threw my hands up into the air and released the energy. Milky white energy erupted from my gloves up into the air and fell back down onto the various gnosis. Over a hundred death rattles filled the air, forcing me to cover my ears. I didn't like hearing things die, especially the gnosis. When it stopped, I uncovered my ears and glanced at everyone.

"Why would gnosis be in MOMO's subconscious domain?" Ziggy asked.

_Even I couldn't answer that._

"I don't know," Shion admitted.

"chaos, how did you know that the gnosis were around?" Jr. asked.

"Uh…think about it, Jr. Just how long have we been fighting the gnosis?"

_Question with a question._

"You've got a point."

"Yeah, I do. Let's go."

After twenty minutes of walking, we found ourselves in the middle of a field with windmills in the middle of it. And now, we were in the middle of another flashback. The trio was standing in the middle of the pathway, looking up at a reddish purple orb in the sky. I held back a shuddering gasp. _That was U-DO…_

"So this is…the fear that Sakura holds," Rubedo whispered.

A wave from the orb suddenly shot out, narrowly missing Rubedo and the 'normal' U.R.T.V.'s that accompanied them.

"Look out! Behind you!" Nigredo shouted as he took a hit from the orb of U-DO.

More waves shot out however this time, they headed for Albedo.

"What is this thing? Cut it out!" Albedo shouted.

"Are they ready? Let's spread out a psych-link and take care of this," Rubedo ordered.

"Rubedo, look!" Nigredo shouted.

The waves circled around the orb.

"The waves—"

The trio suddenly donned a worried look on their faces.

"The waves are coming!"

"Hey! What are you talking about?" Rubedo asked.

The blast waves from the orbs shot out and slammed into the normal U.R.T.V.'s.

"No!"

Slowly and surely, the U.R.T.V.'s became infected and turned into monsters. I suddenly became aware that my hands were shaking.

"They've been infected! But we're not even inside the U-DO simulator!" Albedo shrieked.

Rubedo screamed out loud in fear as the flash of light occurred. The only difference was…the infected U.R.T.V.'s were still around. I backed up quickly, hand covering my mouth. My stomach heaved violently. As the rest of the group jumped into battle, I fell back onto my butt, holding back bile that wouldn't stay down no matter how I tried. The mutation that U-DO caused was horrifying. The most terrifying thing was that…

"chaos, are you all right?"

Shion's voice brought my attention back to the present. Everyone was standing around me with worried looks on their faces, including Jr. I knew Jr. was suspicious about what had happened earlier in the U.M.N. Control Center. After all, I didn't tell him why I reacted like I did. I had Wilhelm to thank for that.

"I-I'm fine. Let's keep going, shall we?"

I was trying to take the attention away from myself. Shion and Ziggy pulled me up to my feet and nodded. I was feeling a little bit better now. Just a little bit. The group started along the path again, this time, with me and Shion in the front. At the end of the path was a cliff, a dead end. And that triggered my senses…my abnormal senses. Something was waiting for us here. All of a sudden, an infected U.R.T.V. jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of us.

I stopped in my tracks and waited with invisible tendrils of energy caressing my body. Instead of attacking us, its body split in half at its torso, spewing forth another body. The bile that threatened to rise the first time had returned in full. Once the monster had fully formed, it lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. The wind was easily knocked out of my lungs, throwing off the concentration that I needed to use my powers while I had on my gloves.

"chaos!" Shion and Jr. screamed.

My vision went completely white as Shion fired her M.W.S. The creature roared in pain and retaliated with a long distance claw swipe. _I prayed that she was all right._ With my mind still very hazy, I couldn't possibly hope to help them.

"We've got to do something!"

The monster looked at me, jaws dripping with saliva. With one huff, it blew a green mist into my face. I felt my throat tighten up…as well as the rest of my muscles. I screamed, agonized beyond all belief.

"Charging…R-Cannon!"

I never thought I would be relieved to hear KOS-MOS's powerful cold voice. The infected U.R.T.V. was thrown back, well out of my range of sight. Two strong arms lifted me onto my feet, but I could hardly manage the strength to stand. It was very funny that I was feeling this way. Normally, my body would have cleansed the poison from my veins, but this was something different.

"Get him an antidote, quickly!"

_No…don't feed that to me._

"N-No…" I managed to stammer.

Shion gave me a strange look.

"Why not?"

"It may not be good for him," Jr. answered.

"Enemy exterminated. Your orders, Shion?"

_KOS-MOS._ I closed my eyes, trying to conserve what energy I had left.

"I told you to leave Rubedo alone! Variants aren't monsters! You guys are just weak!"

_Albedo?_

"Stop it! You'll kill him!" _Rubedo._

"Rubedo…Don't look at me like that! Rubedo!"

_When will this nightmare ever end?

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** I decided to split chapter four up into two parts, because it would be VERY long and because I didn't want to feel like I was rushing to get it done. And if I kept it in it's original format, I would be rushing to get it down by the weekend. Thank you for reviewing, you guys. I will continue to deliver Yeshua's goodness. _Will chaos be able to recover for the Winter Domain? What is his relationship with Dmitri Yuriev? Why is he so afraid of U-DO? What is his relationship with U-DO and Sakura?_ These answers and more next chapter!


	6. MOMO's Subconscious Domain: Winter

**Chapter 5: MOMO's Subconscious Domain: Winter**

chaos:

_I found out that the Institute was maybe not so imposing as I thought it was. Indeed, I found it a lot better than staying with my brothers. Anima had been very kind allowing me to stay in here. I could finally breathe without having all of that protective clothing on. I was comfortably lying down on a plush bed when Anima walked in._

"_Yeshua, I need to talk to you."_

"_Ok."_

_I sat up carefully._

"_How are you feeling?"_

"_I'm…ok. I really want to go outside and find my sister."_

"_I can't let you go back outside."_

Huh? Why?_ I gave my father a confused look._

"_Why not?"_

"_Not after what your brothers did to you, I won't. You know as well as I do that your body can't take direct sunlight."_

_Despite myself, I pouted._

"_I know that. But…I wanna know why I can't do things like a normal boy! My brothers beat me up and call me a freak every chance they get! And I can't fight back…that would make me even more of a freak! I'm not different! I'm the same!"_

_I found myself shouting and getting upset…in the face of my creator. I found it insanely fitting though. I was letting out the anguish and pain that had managed to build up for years._

"_Yeshua—"_

"_I hate that name! You're giving me a title that I can't live up to!"_

_Anima gave me a stern look._

"_Yeshua, you know better. You must control yourself."_

_His voice was soft. He was attempted to calm me down…so he could keep me within his control. I was quickly beginning to learn the lesson 'fear breeds respect'._

"_I want my sister…now," I hissed softly._

"_Azaria, come in."_

_The door slid open with a hiss, revealing Azaria's small, thin form. Anima walked out of the room silently and quickly. I watched him, feeling hatred bubble up in my stomach._

"_Stop looking like that, Yeshua," Azaria said softly as she walked inside._

"_I hate him, Azaria. I hate all of them."_

_I saw the hurt in her eyes._

"_Do you hate me, Yeshua? Even though I'm not actually related to you…I haven't tried to—"_

_I shot up from the bed and grabbed onto her waist._

"_No! Azaria! Don't leave me!"_

_I burst into tears, despite myself. Azaria embraced me gently._

"_Yeshua…calm down. I'm not going to leave you. Shh…hush now…"_

_I sniffled and straightened up._

"_I-I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated with Father. I can't understand my feelings."_

"_Anima is just trying to keep you safe, Yeshua. The uniform and the gloves, everything."_

"_And…that makes me different from my brothers."_

"_Forget about your stupid brothers! It's you that Anima treasures most!"_

_That shut me up. Azaria watched me with her lavender colored eyes._

"_Really?" I asked, my voice slightly hushed._

"_Yes. Why do you think he made modifications so that you could live comfortably? And he put me in charge of watching over you and I'm not much older than you. Yeshua, you have a fantastic future ahead of you. Dr. Yuriev…he wants to use you for his greatest experiment."_

Experiment?

"_Why?"_

"_Your powers. He wants to see if he can use your DNA."_

"_I don't like that idea."_

"_You have no choice."_

No choice…

* * *

I narrowed my eyes at the sight of the needle Shion held in her hand. _I know she is not going to poke me with that thing. I swear I'll scream so loud in her head telepathically, her head would explode. Bad chaos, banish negative thoughts._ My body was in terrible pain and I could hardly walk. The poison had quickly and effectively taken control of my body…one thing that I was counting on to not fail on me. 

I considered running healing energy through my body, but my mind was torn between the pain and the horror of what I'd seen.

"Get that away from me," I hissed.

My voice was slightly high-pitched. Between that, I could hardly hear.

"chaos, we need to treat you here. Sending your wounded consciousness back now might kill you," Shion protested.

_Wanna bet? With a name like Yeshua, I could make it rain body parts._

"Who said I'm going just yet? I'm here to save MOMO just like you are. I'm not going back until we're finished."

Everyone nodded in agreement. I hid my grimace as a muscle in my leg painfully locked up. _Yes, chaos, be noble and torture yourself as well._

"Look, we're back at the Institute," Jr. pointed out.

And we were on yet another goose chase. This time, Ziggy volunteered to carry me on his back so that we could move faster. A flash of light caught us near the stone tablet in the park area.

"What?" Albedo asked while looking at a frustrated Rubedo.

"What were you thinking? Number 623's badly injured!"

"Is that what this is about? All he's got to do is just regenerate. What's the problem?"

A pause.

"Regenerate?"

Albedo lifted his right arm up slowly as a glowing blue orb of energy appeared in his right hand.

"Regenerate…like this…"

He placed the orb near his head causing it to explode and spray blood everywhere. The next thing I saw was Albedo's body standing without a head. Rubedo and Nigredo gasped, horrified by the show of power. I would have personally thrown up, but the poison had gotten to my stomach first. Albedo's head regenerated seconds later with a smile.

"See?" He asked.

"You idiot!" Rubedo shouted as he punched Albedo in the face.

Nigredo grabbed Rubedo and pulled him back.

"Don't you ever pull something like that again! If you die, you can't come back to life!" Rubedo shrieked.

Albedo held his cheek, looking very upset.

"You mean…Are you saying you can't regenerate?"

"Of course not! That's a special power only you possess!"

"Only me?"

Albedo started to cry.

"You're both gonna die and leave me behind? No!"

This was one of the times I could empathize with Albedo. Just knowing the fact that you couldn't die and your friends could was just disturbing. It was just something I had to get used to, especially after I lost contact with Azaria. Albedo clung to Rubedo's waist, sobbing loudly.

"I don't wanna be alone! If you die, I wanna die, too!"

"Stop it. Don't say things like that. Now you're making me sad, too."

"Rubedo, don't leave me behind."

Another flash. Another chase. This time, Albedo was digging a hole under some trees. Next to him sat two makeshift tombstones with Rubedo and Nigredo's names on them.

"What is he doing?" Shion asked.

"I don't know, but…ever since that day…ever since Albedo learned he couldn't die, he somehow started to change," Jr. answered.

"Really?"

_The simple truth has extreme potential to destroy fragile psyches. I knew that well enough._

"We didn't understand. There was no way we could have understood…We couldn't know what it felt like to have a body that wouldn't die."

"Death is rest for the soul. If the body did not die, and the fears born in the mind just continued to pile up, the world would be nothing more than an eternal prison," Ziggy commented.

KOS-MOS gave Ziggy a small glance and a nod.

"Old man…" Jr. breathed.

He turned around with a sigh.

"In the beginning, Albedo and I were one," He said quietly.

"Because you're both from the same fertilized egg?" Shion asked.

_No…they are conjoined twins._

"No. He was literally attached to my back from conception until the 28th week."

Jr. pointed at his upper back with his left hand.

"His heart was attached right around here," He stated.

"What?" Shion asked.

_It's not all that impossible._

"Occasionally, due to incomplete cell division, twins are born sharing the same portion of their internal organs," KOS-MOS informed.

"That's right. Our special abilities, the power to halt or simulate cell growth, are both based on the same basic principle. But after we were split apart, our powers headed off in different directions. And that's why I shouldn't have just abandoned him," Jr. stated softly.

"Jr., couldn't you try just one time to approach him?" Shion asked.

_It's not that easy._

"Well, you know…we're both pretty stubborn."

Another flash. Another chase. This time, we were in the dive capsule unit of the Institute. Ziggy sat me down on my feet gently. I stumbled backwards for a moment or two before catching my balance. Rubedo, Albedo and Nigredo were inside the dive capsules…getting ready to begin another dive.

"Commencing with neural monitoring of unit number 666. Membrane electrical potential, stable. Spontaneous brain wave frequency of number 667 shifting from 20 to 28 Hz."

"Calm down, children. Don't get flustered," Yuriev said soothingly.

The trio closed their eyes.

"Stabilized, 8 Hz."

"That's better. Just like that."

"So these are the U.R.T.V.'s…" A younger looking Helmer mused.

"Dmitri, will they be all right? I don't want to hurt these children, even for Sakura's sake," Dr. Mizrahi said.

_It's a little too late for that. You helped spawn one of the craziest bastards in the universe._

"I'd heard they were young, but I didn't expect them to be this young," Helmer mused.

"You're pretty sentimental for a soldier, Helmer," Yuriev commented.

"Stupid, cold, heartless bastard. You didn't care that they were innocent," I snapped out loud.

"Hmm…I believe a soldier's duty is to protect human life," Helmer said tersely.

"This time, Sakura will be with you, too," Dr. Mizrahi whispered.

After that, we appeared near the gas station only it was snowing…

"Just like last time, the target point for this mission is the beach. Albedo, Nigredo, let's go!"

The Phantom trio disappeared into the forest, leaving the group alone.

"chaos, I have a question," Shion said softly.

_Oh…great. Now we're having a mini questionnaire. _I wasn't in the position to refuse them, especially with the poison effectively consuming my focus.

"Ask away."

"You knew Yuriev, didn't you?"

I bit my lip.

"He just looks familiar, that's all."

"chaos, answer the question fully," Jr. muttered.

I almost considered sticking my tongue out at him.

"I knew Yuriev. He was a friend of my father when the Yuriev Institute was located on Earth."

Jr. gave me a confused look.

"The Institute was located on Earth at some point?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was really young during the time Father knew him."

In a way, I was telling half-truth, half-lies. I was about seven or eight when I started living in the facility with Anima. The Yuriev Institute was actually a medical facility while it was on Earth. It was, until Yuriev heard about the threat of U-DO. And that's when he used some of my and a woman's DNA to cultivate useful bioweapons.

"Your father…?"

"I cannot say anymore. Please, let's just continue."

All of us continued into the forest at a brisk pace. I managed to keep up, even though I had to be carried over certain obstacles. We actually arrived at the beach but…

"Sakura! There's nothing here today. If we run, we'll be at the beach in no time!" Rubedo shouted.

I frowned at the sight of the trio and Sakura. Something was off. Sakura shook her head with a fearful expression on her face.

"Why not? Let's go! First, we'll cure your illness, then we'll go to a real beach," Rubedo said almost impatiently.

A shadow appeared behind him, dark and menacing.

"Rubedo, look!" Sakura said, panic evident in her voice.

Rubedo turned around and saw the evil shadow. An expression of horror was written all over his face. _So now Albedo shows his true face._ Albedo broke out in sin-filled laughter.

"What do you know, Rubedo? You're just like me, aren't you?"

He continued to laugh as his body started glowing.

"Rubedo's a monster, too! It all makes perfect sense. Once, the two of us were one. So, if I'm a monster, that means you're a monster, too! Oh, this is so wonderful! I'm so happy!"

Albedo was ecstatic now.

"No! Wait! This isn't my shadow!" Rubedo shouted.

"Rubedo, calm down. Please don't get angry," Sakura pleaded.

"I…I'm not a monster!"

Albedo's voice changed almost immediately to the normal one. I growled softly. I knew he was still around.

"Can you still feel the beating in your chest, Rubedo? Can you still feel my heart, buried in the right side?" Albedo asked.

Sakura's body vanished for a moment to reveal MOMO.

"Rubedo, it's a trap!"

_Damnit!_ I watched helplessly as Rubedo/Jr. activated his powers.

"Jr., stop!" I shouted.

"Rubedo! No!" Sakura/MOMO shouted.

"Albedo!" Jr. shrieked.

"**Chief! The Encephalon field structure has started to rapidly collapse! It's not a problem with the system. It was probably another trap inside MOMO," **Allen announced.

Now was probably a good idea to use my powers no matter the cost.

"We should have known. Albedo anticipated the likelihood of an Encephalon dive," Shion said softly.

Jr. started towards the trio and Sakura.

"Did you say Albedo? If he was an acquaintance of Sakura Mizrahi as well, then it may have been part of his plan to bring Jr. here," Ziggy mused.

_The bastard just wants revenge._ The trio and Sakura vanished…

"**A bypass-intrusion into the Encephalon?"** _Allen._

I wasn't surprised when the real Albedo grabbed Jr. by the neck and placed him in a headlock. He smirked and took a sniff of Jr.'s head.

"Such a sweet smell, Rubedo…the smell of rage evaporating off your body. Sure you don't suffer from excessive norepinephrine?" He asked.

He turned Jr. towards us.

"Jr.!" Ziggy shouted.

"Jr., calm down. Don't you want to make peace with your brother?" _Shion._

_Wrong thing to say, Shion. Madmen really don't listen to reason._

"Peace? I'll have you know, Rubedo and I are the best of pals," Albedo said, voice full of sarcasm.

He shoved his hand through Jr.'s stomach, causing Jr. to shriek in pain. Pain snaked its way up my body from my legs. That wasn't the poison.

"Albedo!" Jr. choked out.

Waves of red energy emitted from his body…

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! That's it! Come on! Unleash what you've been holding in all these years!" Albedo shouted in ecstasy.

"I'm gonna take you down! You're gonna regret this!"

"Sounds like fun. Give it a try."

A burst of red light shot out from Jr.'s body, knocking Albedo to the ground. He gradually backed away as he recovered from the lack of air. Albedo got up and smirked.

"Fool."

He sent energy at Jr., who in turn sent energy back towards him. The energy quickly grew out of control.

"No, Jr.! If you fight Albedo, you'll just be hurting yourself!" Shion shouted.

"Wait, Shion. Jr.'s losing control," Ziggy pointed out.

_Now or never, chaos. You must stop them._ Albedo laughed.

"You're got to hand it to him. He's trying to control his emotions. But his body hungers for combat. We are weapons, after all!"

"Stop this right now!" I shouted, forcing my energy towards them.

I ended up screaming as the poison sitting in my veins began to react, making it seem like my body was burning from the inside out. My mind tore away from it all, my raw will keeping the energy flowing. It wasn't long before I gave out and fell into the snow. Albedo picked himself out of the snow, badly damaged from my blast. _My energy could kill him. He would find that out and stay away._

"Stop…"

_MOMO? MOMO's ok?_

"Stop!" MOMO said forcefully.

"You fell for it, ma pêche!" Albedo shrieked.

"You're so easy to manipulate, my mechanical angel. Mizrahi and his crazy whims. Anyone can see that it would've been smarter not to give you human emotions," He added.

All of a sudden, we were back in the analysis chamber. Dr. Mizrahi rushed into the room, looking very worried. I would have been worried too, if I didn't have a failsafe.

"MOMO, you're awake! Dr. Mizrahi, what about the Y-Data?" Shion asked.

"It's gone. The thing we feared the most these last fourteen years…the key…"

Shion had a very confused look on her face.

"The wheels have been set in motion. They can't be stopped," I said softly.

Jr. was almost halfway to the door to the main office of the U.M.N. Control Center, when he doubted over in pain.

"Jr., what's wrong?" Shion asked.

"My chest…my right side…this pain…it's Albedo's. His heartbeat is fading. It can't be…Albedo…"

I shook my head slowly.

_He opened the door…now we must follow…into potential madness._

_

* * *

**Author's Note:** _Thanks for the reviews. I know it has been a while since I've updated. Well, next chapter is going to feature a new P.O.V.: Azaria's. Since there is a gap within the time Shion's on the Dämmerung, I decided to make this next chapter halfway original. Well, you'll see what I mean. Until next time. 


	7. Memories

**Chapter 6: Memories**

chaos:

"_Yeshua, it's all right. You did great…"_

_Azaria's melodic voice drifted into my ear. My entire body was shaking…hurting from the demanding treatment Yuriev performed. I was almost sure I was traumatized from the transfer. I was too young…_

"_I-It was horrible, A-Azaria," I whispered._

"_It's over now, Yeshua. You don't have to deal with the pain anymore, I promise."_

_I pulled away from her, wiping my eyes with my hand. It was nighttime and the moon was bright and full in the evening sky. I loved this time of day (night, rather) because it was the only time I didn't have to wear my protective clothing. I felt human at night. And human was good._

"_Why does father have to deal with Yuriev?"_

_Azaria rolled her eyes._

"_He's working at the Institute. He used his resources to make you and your brothers."_

"_Being in debt…is stupid if it causes suffering."_

_Azaria reached into her pocket and pulled something small out._

"_I made this for you."_

_She sat a small bracelet in my palm. It had small charms shaped like stars and moons. It was very pretty…_

"_Azaria, thank you," I said gratefully._

_She smiled, the edges of her small cheeks turning redder by the moment. She was blushing…_

"_I made it so that when I'm away, I can still talk to you. This bracelet will allow me to talk to you anytime I want. And you can do the same."

* * *

_

I held up the little charm that Azaria had made for me. It glimmered in the light, enchanted by her energy. I had lost contact with her when the Militian Conflict started. Vector made me participate in that conflict. I sighed softly. I loved Azaria. Everything about her was godlike. She was my guardian, my lifeline, when I wasn't at my best. I regretted losing her. I slid the bracelet back on and pulled the glove back on. _She was still alive…somewhere._

'_Yeshua!'_

I nearly jumped out of my skin. _That voice…_

"Azaria…" I breathed.

'_Yeshua! Help me!'_

"How? Where are you?"

'_Please…'_

There was nothing more. I felt a tear running down my cheek.

"A-Azaria…"

* * *

Ormus Stronghold, Old Militian Space

Azaria:

"I'm not going to ask you again. Repent your sins, witch!"

I frowned, narrowing my eyes to slits. Orgulla, commander of the ship was standing in front of me with an impatient look on her face. She was trying to intimidate me with her presence. It didn't work. I wasn't afraid of her. _Not now, not ever._

"Orgulla, give me a break. Why do you waste your time? I have nothing to stay to you," I snapped.

Orgulla stepped back and pulled out a small gun. She pointed it in my face with a dangerous smile on her face.

"I'm not sure how you remain so defiant, but you won't remain that way for long."

"You won't kill me. I'm too valuable to you. You need Yeshua."

I hated having to involve Yeshua in my plight. I knew he was alive, which was surprising because I thought he would have gone mad with guilt after he murdered his siblings and Anima a long time ago.

"You mean your stupid pet."

_Stupid pet?_ I let a low growl escape from my throat.

"You'll do wise not to call him that again."

I was definitely going to carry out my threat. Orgulla placed the gun against my forehead. I didn't even flinch.

"Well, I'm wondering why you're worrying about him. If he is as powerful as his name says, why hasn't he come for you?"

_Because he's a saint compared to your damned soul._ I couldn't explain why Yeshua hadn't come to my rescue. But I know he was hearing my call. My bracelet had made sure of that.

"What do you care? You just want him so you can control the Zohar's power. And even then…"

"Azaria, we know that he won't function without you. He's your charge, is he not?"

_Damnit._

"Yes, I am his guardian, born with the duty to buffer some of his power."

"The Patriarch knows that Yeshua's weak. They will eliminate him soon."

_You can't kill a divine being._

"Do what you want? But you know it won't work."

Orgulla put her gun back in its holster and folded her arms.

"Take her away. Have her ready to face Manes."

* * *

Second Militia

12:57 P.M.

chaos:

I shivered. Something felt off to me. Was it Albedo's appearance? Or was it Wilhelm? I had a very unpleasant meeting with the CEO of Vector. He wasn't very happy now with the Y-Data gone. It threw off the Compass of Order, he said. The point was that I didn't do it on purpose. Nevertheless, I didn't have any new assignments for a while.

"Master chaos, you have a call from the Kukai Foundation."

_Jr.? What possibly could he want right now?_

"Patch it through."

"chaos, it's good to see you again."

"What is it, Little Master? I'm not really in the mood to go anywhere."

"What's wrong, friend?"

"It's nothing."

"chaos, you know you can tell me anything."

"I-I can hear her calling…"

"You mean Azaria?"

I glanced down at the bracelet on my wrist.

"She's alive, Jr. She's alive and she needs help."

"You don't think she's nearby, do you? The bracelet has been dormant for years."

_For fourteen years, I know. But I never once thought that she died._

"Jr., I don't know what to believe."

"We've got orders from President Helmer. We are to go to Old Militia."

_So…the transfer column is still intact. The Federation was really going to have a problem soon. I wonder if Margulis was going to brief me on Ormus's position in all that's going on._

"I really don't want to go back to that place."

"You haven't seen her in fourteen years. Who's to say that she isn't hiding out on Militia?"

_Because Militia's dead, you idiot._

"Jr., who all are going to Militia?"

"Shion and KOS-MOS are with Vector now, so they can't go. I doubt Wilhelm will let them go."

"The others are coming though."

"Yeah. Mary and Shelley are taking the Durandal. But I told them to leave after we do."

"I expect you want me to report to the Elsa soon."

"Yeah, but about Azaria…I hope we find her soon."

"Thanks, Jr."

"Anytime, friend. Hurry up, ok?"

"Don't rush me."

* * *

Ormus Stronghold

2:17 P.M.

Azaria:

I was dumped unceremoniously onto the carpeted floor of my prison cell. The impact jarred my sore and suffering body, sending sharp pain up my spine. It was a rather nasty battle between me and the Manes form of Orgulla, but that was normal. I was used to fighting the woman…that's why I kept my arrogant attitude up. Naturally, I was a very arrogant woman. Hey, with the powers came the confidence. _Simple, right?_ I got up onto my feet, ignoring the sensation my aching muscles caused.

"Medica…" I whispered, beginning the healing process.

I had been in this accursed stronghold for six years as a very special prisoner. You see, Ormus wanted Yeshua so that they could awaken U-DO. I could have lead them right to Yeshua, if I contacted him in the presence of Orgulla. For six long years, I held out against Orgulla's brutal charms. In a way, I was slowly killing myself. I glanced at myself in the large mirror across the room. Dull purple eyes peered out from behind dulling silver hair set in a very pale visage.

If I continued to stay here, I would run out of energy. I think Orgulla knew that. She was pushing me very hard, trying to weaken me enough to cry for help. I was almost there. My mind held up to the abuse, but my body wasn't doing too well. Ormus was on the move again, this time, to Old Militia. I feared Militia. U-DO and Zohar was in there. U-DO is what I feared. I wasn't a U.R.T.V., so I couldn't negate the call of that thing.

But what I feared the most was Yeshua going to Old Militia. Anima told me that bad things would happen. I sat down on the bed in the center and closed my weary eyes. I focused my mind on the brilliant visage of my charge.

"Yeshua…I need you. Hurry up…"

* * *

Elsa: Open Space

chaos:

_Despite my shortcomings with Yuriev and his experiment, I continued to live a rather peaceful life. Azaria was allowed to come in and actually stay with me on certain days. Seeing her kept me very controlled…very contained. For the first time in my young life, I was very happy._

"_Good Morning, Yeshua." A wide smile spread across my lips._

"_Good Morning, Azaria."_

_Azaria flashed me a shy smile as she settled down in a seat next to the fountain placed in the shaded courtyard I was in._

"_I trust you slept well?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Good. Master Anima sent me to train you this morning."_

"_But that's no fun," I protested._

"_I'll make it fun, I promise. Now, take off of your gloves and show me something."_

_I pulled the glove off of my right hand and flexed it. What could I do to impress Azaria? I focused my hand on the water flowing in the fountain and drew upon it. A line of water flowed up from it, sparkling slight from the filtered sunlight. I slowly balled my hands into a fist, causing the water to form into a small round sphere. Azaria watched it in wonder, eyes lit up with excitement. I pulled my left glove off and made a small motion with that hand. I watched in delight as a butterfly made out of water flew out of the sphere._

"_I know it's what Anima's against…but I really like creating beautiful things with my powers," I said softly._

"_Yeshua…"_

_Azaria's face was flushed now._

"_I…really like having you around, Azaria. I want to make it so that you don't feel like this is a chore."_

"_You definitely didn't inherit your kindness from Anima. I don't think of this as a chore."_

_I smiled and let the water go, watching it drop back into the fountain._

"_Thanks, I really needed to hear that."_

"_Yeshua, the Institute is getting ready to move into outer space. We have to go with Yuriev."_

Moving into outer space?

"_Why?" I asked._

"_Earth's atmosphere has become unstable. It's getting dangerous to stay here."_

_I glanced up at the sky._

"_Dangerous?"_

"_The Zohar is causing a disturbance in the planet's magnetic field. It's going to be transferred to Militia. A bit too late, I'd say."_

"_So, I get to see the world?"_

"_Yeah…you get to see the world."_

"_Then I'm ok with that…"_

'_Yeshua…I need you. Hurry up…'

* * *

_

Azaria's melodic voice roused me from my stress-induced nap. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. I was going crazy. Why would hear her voice after fourteen years? _She had to be alive. She just had to be._ I glanced at the bracelet around my wrist. The moon and star charms were glowing a faint lavender color…almost like Azaria's eyes.

_Did I love her?_ She was my guardian, even though she was a mere two years older than me. There was always an aura of mysteriousness that hovered around her. Rumor was that she was as powerful as me…but she never showed her powers until one fateful night. The night I killed my siblings and my father. I shook my head and stood up. _Time to shake off these bad memories._ I got up and headed through the double doors of the men's cabin. I strolled into the bridge moments later, settling into my favorite position: the Engineer's chair.

"Ah…there you are, chaos. How are you feeling?" _Captain Matthews._

"Just a little tired, but I will be ok."

"Good. We're just thirty minutes or so from the transfer column leading to Old Militia."

_Right into the gates of hell. Fantastic.

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** I know this wasn't long, but it was intended to be a filler chapter to explain what Azaria's upcoming role is in the story. Don't be afraid, I'm still sticking to the plot, just altering it in ways to make sense. Besides, I didn't want Yeshie to be lonely. Next stop: Ormus Stronghold.


	8. Ormus Stronghold

**Chapter 7: Ormus Stronghold**

Elsa

2:15 P.M.

chaos:

"We've detected Albedo's ascension."

"I see. He did well. The lock has been opened and the obstacle removed. The rest is up to her."

"Will matters proceed smoothly?"

"She is suited for the task. There will be no problems. People always try to live a life of choices between good and evil. They make pessimism their foundation and praise misfortune and sorrow. And then they try to seek a pure heart. Yet this is nothing more than their individual view, born out of comparison with others. Is she who thinks of others _right_? Is he who opened the door _wrong_? Only those who stand in a place beyond that point can comprehend the true essence and gain knowledge of absolute truth, right Yeshua?"

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to get caught up in his philosophy.

"Wilhelm, leave me out of this."

"Her awakening—KOS-MOS's awakening—will lead us to that summit. Don't you agree?"

"Wilhelm…"

"In any case, the intermission is over and the players stand upon the stage. All that remains is to wait for the knight to appear. And for that, it is necessary that someone play the role of the villain."

"Will he suffice for that role?" _Testament…_

"Do you object? The greater the suffering, the more exciting the drama."

I closed the mental connection with a frown. Sometimes Wilhelm's attitude made me wonder why I existed. I hated death and destruction. All he wanted was a good show. Times like these…made me wonder why I didn't just take a vacation.

"chaos, take a look around, will ya?" Captain Matthews asked.

I entered several things into the keyboard in front of me, bringing up a small screen. To the normal eye, there was nothing to see, but to my eyes, I saw multiple ships.

"Funny…"

* * *

Ormus Stronghold

Azaria:

I sat down in the chair next to Orgulla's commanding chair. It was a bit unusual for her to force me to the bridge.

"Any reason why you have me here?" I asked, allowing irritation to creep into my voice.

"A vessel under Vector's jurisdiction has entered Militian space. Our rightful space."

_Vector? Didn't Yeshua work with Vector?_ I kept my expression blank.

"What are you going to do?"

"Destroy it. All hands, deploy ships and prepare to engage enemy target!"

"No!"

* * *

Elsa

chaos:

Another ship jumped out of hyperspace, bearing the Vector Industries logo. I thought Wilhelm had locked the Dämmerung down. _Could it be…Shion? If it was Shion…then why was she traveling alone?_ Several ships appeared to come out of nowhere and opened fire on the small ship.

"No! That's going to kill her!" I blurted out.

The little ship managed to avoid all of the beams at high speed. An A.M.W.S. gated out and started firing. The ship was instantly hit on the side and was sent tumbling. _No! KOS-MOS, you've got to help her!_ I shouted inwardly with all of my might. All of a sudden, I was looking in on Vector's Second R&D Division in the room that housed KOS-MOS's cryogenic bed. An employee walked into the room.

"What's going on?"

"It's…KOS-MOS! She suddenly started up!"

_That's right, hurry!_ The cryogenic bed opened with a cloud of mist.

"But that's impossible. Her reactor isn't even installed."

"I…I know!"

_Hurry, KOS-MOS!_ The walls opened up, letting sunny air in. KOS-MOS fluidly got out of her bed and watched idly as it turned into a motorcycle. A ramp appeared out of nowhere extending up to the window. She got onto the motorcycle and proceeded to rev the engine.

"Wait, KOS-MOS! What are you doing?" The Vector Supervisor asked.

"Shion," KOS-MOS said simply.

"What?"

"Shion is calling me and he…"

"Shion? Chief Uzuki is…and who is he?"

_Now, KOS-MOS! _KOS-MOS took off on the motorcycle into outer space, which brought my focus back to the Elsa. So far, Shion and Allen were still alive, but not for long. I tapped into the keys to open a communications channel between ships. Maybe I could try to reassure them.

"Oh…it's all over! Chief!" Allen screamed.

"I thought you were a man! Quit whining and shoot something!" Shion snapped.

One of the black ships started charging its cannons.

"Captain Matthews, can we get closer?" I asked.

"The Elsa won't be able to dodge all that fire!"

_Come on, KOS-MOS…_

"Is this the end?" Shion asked.

All of a sudden, a beam blew up the black ship and a motorcycle-like object gated out into our space. _It was KOS-MOS! Thank the heavens she made it on time!_ The rest of the black ships blew up as the android came near.

"Shion. I am switching your craft to control mode B. Prepare for docking," The battle android stated.

"What? Docking?" Shion asked.

I watched in awe as the spacecraft turned into an E.S. The E.S. fired off a laser beam, wiping out several other black ships…all except for the mysterious A.W.M.S., which disappeared as soon as the onslaught began.

"I think…we're saved," Shion breathed.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Allen exclaimed.

"Enemy craft have withdrawn from sensor range," KOS-MOS announced.

I checked the area again. She was right. They had withdrawn from the area.

"KOS-MOS…thank you," Shion said gratefully.

_Time for me to interrupt the fun._ I tapped a key on my keyboard, making our communications link bi-directional.

"Chief, a transmission!" Allen announced.

"A transmission?" Shion asked.

"Yo, Miss Vector! That was quite a show you put on out there!" Captain Matthews commented.

"That voice!" Shion exclaimed.

"Hey? If you're alive, say something already!"

"If you don't mind, would you pick us up?"

I tapped some keys on my keyboard, bringing up the Elsa's status.

"Tony, you heard her!"

It wasn't long before Allen and Shion arrived on the deck. I had to admit I was very relieved to see the two safe and sound.

"Captain! We owe you one!" Shion exclaimed.

"Yo! Looks like you're causing trouble like always!" Matthew commented.

"Yeah, something kind of happened at First Division."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Something?" I asked.

_Knowing Wilhelm, he probably knew about it._

"Yeah. I can't put it into words very well, but I felt I had to go to Old Militia."

_Damn you, Nephilim._

"What?" Matthews asked.

"What? What's wrong, Captain?"

"Representative Helmer asked us to go to Old Militia, too. I don't think there was anyone else crazy enough to head there."

Jr. walked onto the bridge quietly.

"Yeah, Helmer asked me to go there, too! Besides, that's where the original Zohar is," He said softly.

_The Zohar…and U-DO…_ I wasn't surprised when Jin walked in calmly with Canaan in tow.

"Canaan and I have business on Old Militia as well. Representative Helmer asked me to analyze Canaan's data."

_Not that._

"So, everyone is headed off to Old Militia," Shion commented.

"KOS-MOS was amazing back there!" Allen exclaimed.

"Yeah, even I was surprised. But who was that enemy? It even dodged KOS-MOS's attack! I have a bad feeling about this," Jr. commented.

"Yeah, I wonder about that myself," Shion mused.

_Indeed, those ships were troubling. I had never seen ships like those before._

"All right. Do you want to head to Old Militia now?" Captain Matthews asked.

"Yes, let's go," Shion replied.

"Okay, you got it! Hey, Tony! You heard that, right? Hit it!" Matthews ordered.

MOMO entered the bridge shortly afterwards, sporting her normal cheery smile.

"MOMO, can you trace the enemy fleet?" Hammer asked.

"They're headed for point E-52 at combat speed."

_Wait…_

"Damn, they've got some guts to be charging in there that fast," Tony commented.

The whine of the engines grew louder as the Elsa moved into a course of pursuit. KOS-MOS walked onto the bridge and stood next to Shion.

"That just shows how desperate they are. Course, at this rate, we're never gonna catch them," Matthews commented.

"Captain, I must warn you," KOS-MOS said.

"What is it? Make it quick."

"If we continue to proceed along the present course, it is highly probable that the enemy will leave a force to intercept us. It is prudent to assume that this ship will eventually suffer an extensive and unacceptable level of damage."

"I'm afraid KOS-MOS is right. We're in trouble unless we find a route where the enemy can't detect us," Shion added.

"Look, I get what you're saying, but how in the hell are we supposed to do that? This isn't a highway, you know. It's not like we can just take a detour or somethin'!" Matthews protested.

"Actually, there is a detour," MOMO said softly.

"What?"

"Really, MOMO?" Shion asked.

MOMO walked up to my console and pressed a few buttons. A screen with a visual of the double black holes guarding the column popped up.

"I've detected a small gap in the gravitational fields between the black holes. If we fly through it, I think the chances of enemy detection would drop significantly."

_Nice…_

"Hey, are you outta your mind?" Matthews asked.

"Right. Even if we made the slightest mistake, we'd be caught by the gravitational field and dragged into the Abyss," Shion stated.

"I guess it's impossible," MOMO said sadly.

"What? Impossible? Hey, hey, who do you think you're talking to here? There's no way Tony _'Numero Uno's'_ gonna turn down a challenge like that!" Tony said excitedly.

_Oh…we're doomed._

"There he goes again…once that moron gets started, there's no stopping him," Hammer muttered.

"Dah! Whatever! Do whatcha want…but you'd better not even think about getting a scratch on my Elsa!" Matthews snapped.

"Don't worry! Leave it on me! MOMO, I'll be counting on you for a route!" _Tony._

"Okay!" MOMO said excitedly.

* * *

Ormus Stronghold

Azaria:

I was slightly relieved when I saw that the Vector ship had gotten away safely. Orgulla wasn't very happy about it though.

"That craft…outmanned even Pellegri. I suppose it was Yeshua's doing."

I wasn't sure about that. I had no idea if Yeshua could pilot spacecraft or not.

"I have no idea, Orgulla. Now, I tire of this. Let me go back down to my cell."

"An unidentified ship is approaching the gravity well. I wonder if its your friends?"

_Just my luck._

"Prepare to gate out to intercept our new guest."

* * *

Back to the Elsa

chaos:

"Whoa, radar and sonar are both dead! We're not getting any readings," Hammer commented.

"It's almost like we'd be better off flying blindfolded," Tony muttered.

"Tony, I've detected a massive distortion in the space ahead of the Elsa. A large mass is about to gate out," MOMO announced.

"What? They're gating out here?"

I pulled up the observation screen again. All of a sudden, the Ormus Stronghold appeared between the two black holes. _Damnit, Ormus!_ This is was horribly bad timing. Everything gasped.

"What the hell is that?" Matthews asked.

_Oh…Margulis owed me an explanation now._

"Damn, where were they hiding that thing?" Jr. asked.

_I couldn't begin to tell you._ Now, other enemy ships popped up around the damned stronghold.

"It's moving into the Elsa's flight path! 180 seconds to impact!" MOMO announced.

"Tony, can we avoid it?" Matthews asked.

"Negative! It's taking up the entire gravity well. If we screw up, we'll get pulled into the black hole," Tony replied.

_We won't fail._

"They're not gonna let us through no matter what!" Jr. shouted.

A pause.

"The only thing left for us to do is to make them move. Little Master, can we take them out from the inside?" _Matthews._

"Yeah…yeah, if we can get inside, that is."

"Tony, maintain present course and increase to maximum speed. Hammer, disengage all weapon safety locks. Don't worry about aiming. Just let loose with everything we've got! We're gonna dive smack dab into that thing's belly. It's time you guys showed me what you're made of."

I brought up the window for the Elsa's current status.

"You got it!" Hammer and Tony said proudly.

"Raising shields up to 100 percent, Captain," I announced.

I leaned back into my seat as the Elsa blasted off towards the Ormus Stronghold. Hundreds of beams crossed our path as we wove through.

"Firing cannons," Hammer announced.

Multiple beams shot out from the sides of the ship, destroying some of the black ships. We were a mere distance away when an enemy beam hit the left side of the ship, sending everyone forward.

"Shields are gone! Tony, do something!" I shouted.

Tony's solution caused us to have a very rough landing on the top of the Stronghold. I groaned as I scanned my window. It read 'Logical Drive Failure'.

"This is going to make hours to repair. Hammer, you've got a big job ahead of you," I commented.

Hammer groaned.

"Okay, then! That was a little rough, but we made it. There's no time to waste! Let's hurry up, get inside there, and take it out! That's a pretty big fortress, so we'll take the E.S.'s!"

_And Jr. has spoken._

'_Yeshua!'

* * *

_

Ormus Stronghold

Azaria:

"The Elsa has taken significant damage, Mistress."

_Oh…Yeshua…_ They don't stand a chance if they can't fly. Orgulla smirked.

"All units cease fire. I will greet my guest personally. No doubt, they will try to blow up my ship. Take Azaria back to her room."

I wasn't going back to that room. Orgulla laughed and walked out of the room briskly. Two men walked up beside me, motioning for me to get up with their guns. _I hope she didn't value her employees._ I lashed out at the closest one with my foot, effectively striking him in the groin. Said man fell back with a groan. Without hesitation, I grabbed the other man's neck and violently twisted it to the side. As his body dropped to the floor, I retrieved his gun. I wasted no time in cocking it and emptying a bullet in the other man's skull. Orgulla's assistant looked at me in fear.

"If you value your life, you will not call someone to help you."

The woman nodded, trembling. I tucked the gun into my belt and exited the bridge. Now I was standing on a very thin walkway that traveled down several floors. The core was as the center of the stronghold, which was where Orgulla and Yeshua were headed. A violent tremor almost sent me tumbling over the edge of the walkway. The battle between Ormus and everyone else was already under way. I had to find out where Yeshua was…

I closed my eyes and focused on the bracelet.

'_Yeshua…where are you?'_

'_Azaria? Azaria, is that you?'_

I could feel his sweet relief coursing through my mind.

'_Yeah…Yeshua, it's me.'_

'_Where are you? I'll come get you!'_

'_No…calm down, Yeshua. I'll get to you. Where are you headed?'_

'_Down to the core.'_

Orgulla would be down there in a matter of minutes.

'_I'll meet you down there.'

* * *

_

Twenty Minutes Later

chaos:

We entered the room that housed the mechanism to lower the core into the water. I almost expected Azaria to be in there waiting for us to save her. Instead, a woman dressed in the typical Ormus uniform with silver hair in a ponytail off to the side of her face was kneeling in the center of the room.

"Welcome to this holy confessional. Come in, you filth," She said, disgust evident in her voice.

"What?" Jr. asked.

"There is nothing to fear. No matter what you do, there is no escape from this place. Now, confess your sins. I will listen to anything, even from the mouths of foul beasts like you."

_She must be one of the Patriarch's humble followers._

"You damn bitch!" Jr. snapped.

"I see. You do not wish to admit your sins. You will leave me no choice but to rip you apart."

"You will not touch a hair on their heads, Orgulla!"

_That voice…_

I turned around only to see Azaria walking down the stairs with a katana in hand. Her eyes were narrowed to dark purple slits. Orgulla snarled and drew her weapons: a beam sword and a dagger.

"So, you decided to break out on your own then. Tell me, which one of these filth is Yeshua?"

Azaria shrugged once she got down to the bottom of the stairs.

"It doesn't matter. I was using them as an ample distraction to get away from you."

Orgulla settled into her battle stance.

"Well, let's see how good you are."

Azaria charged forward, keeping her sword at the level of her chest so that she could easily parry any move Orgulla would come up with. And so, the battle began between the two women. It seemed like Azaria had the upper hand with her speed and viciousness of her strikes. That is, until she was blown back across the room. Orgulla doubled over…in what seemed like pain and screamed. Energy crackled off of her body…

"Get them, Manes!"

_Wait…Manes? The virus Seller developed? But how…?_ Azaria warily got onto her feet and lifted her weapon up again. She was exhausted. Orgulla laughed and lifted up a blue colored sword.

"How pathetic of you, Orgulla. Hiding behind Manes like that," Azaria hissed.

I smelled a bluff. My guardian was bluffing to keep herself alive. Orgulla laughed.

"I've been waiting for this. The day you fall in front of your saviors!"

'_Azaria…let me—'_

'_No, Yeshua!'_

Azaria waved at us.

"Go! I'll lower the core. Hurry up!"

She drew a gun with her other hand and fired. One of the electrical columns in the back blew up and a loud splash was heard.

"You heard her, everyone! Let's go!" I shouted.

The others exited the room quickly…all except for me. I couldn't leave Azaria behind. The fight between Orgulla and her started up again. This time, Orgulla had the upper hand, with wide sword swings. It wasn't long before Azaria was pinned against the wall. Before I could blink, Orgulla had a gun out and pointed at Azaria's chest.

"Azaria!" I shrieked, taking off towards the wall.

A gunshot tore through my ears as well as the jagged cracking of the wall. Orgulla smirked and ran out of the room, blood trailing behind her. It was hard to shut out the pain flooding through Azaria's temporary link that she shared with me. Her body pitched backwards through the hole and fell backwards. Without thinking, I jumped after her…

* * *

Azaria:

With a bullet lodged in my chest…in my lungs, my healing spell refused to work. I was far too weak to activate it. Orgulla's Manes form had weakened me just by showing itself. Now I was free-falling down into the water that lined the center of the stronghold, where I would drown. I didn't like those odds very well. All of a sudden, two hands grabbed me. Warm energy flooded my veins, rushing the pain away.

I gasped loudly and opened my eyes. Surrounded in light energy and silvery angelic wings was my charge's blue-green eyes. _He…jumped to rescue me…_

"Yeshua…you…"

"Hush. Let me finish."

The light died down seconds later and I found that I was standing on the catwalk underneath the core. Yeshua was standing in front of me, breathing heavily. _Did he…?_ I checked my power reserves. _All full…_

"Yeshua, you need some rest. We need to get you and your friends out of here now," I stated.

Yeshua straightened up with a sigh.

"To my friends, my name is chaos. You can call me Yeshua in private."

I had no idea why Yeshua would hide his real name. But I would respect his wishes for now. I touched Yeshua's shoulder, trying to reassure him.

'_I'm sorry. I supposed to be protecting you. Not the other way around.'_ I sent the thought to his mind.

'_Azaria…'_

"**Attention, self destruct mechanism has been activated. Thirty minutes until Ormus Stronghold destructs."**

Yeshua's friends rushed out of the core and stopped in front of us.

"The teleports won't get you up there in time. No doubt, Orgulla left a force to slow us down. I believe I have a quicker way up to your ship," I said gently.

Yeshua gave me a wary look.

"How?" Shion asked.

"Join hands. chaos, you and I will be in the center."

Yeshua's allies formed into a ragged circle with me and my charge in the middle. As soon as Yeshua's gloves touched my hands, I felt something flutter in my stomach. _Whoa…that wasn't energy._ I pushed my feelings down and started the energy flowing.

"Unleash some of thy powers…"

Instantly, all of us took off of the platform and flew up. Various objects flew by as we continued to gain speed. We finally stopped in the E.S. hanger at the top of the stronghold. I watched as everyone climbed into their respective mobile suits, except for me.

"Azaria, are you sure you don't want to come in?" Shion asked.

_When will people figure out that I'm not human?_ I made my way to the end of the ramp and scanned the floor, calculating the drop. It had to be about twenty foot drop.

"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."

Just before I jumped, an E.S. arm extended at the ramp.

"A twenty foot drop could go wrong, Azaria," Yeshua said gently.

'_Yeshua…don't be difficult.'_

'_Just get on the arm so I can let you down.'_

I hid my displeasure as I walked onto the arm.

'_Someone is going to get a nice discussion when this is all over._'

The arm lowered down to the floor and I stepped off as daintily as I could. I walked ahead of the E.S.'s as they crossed into the airlock. When the airlock opened, I activated my powers, sealing breathable oxygen into my lungs. This was how I was able to breathe in space. My genetics made it possible to walk out into space, unscathed. Yeshua had the power to do it as well…but I still didn't know whether he used it or not. Any doubt that my new allies had about me vanished as I walked out into open space.

"Really? So neither my subordinates nor the Patriarch's toys are any use. The Inquisition will not allow you to escape."

_Ah…Pellegri. I've been waiting a long time for this._ I wasn't surprised when the E.S. Issachar came into view.

"Pellegri!" I shouted joyfully.

I actually was happy to see her…for all the wrong reasons.

"Disengage your weapons and surrender!"

The E.S. Asher, where chaos was, fired a few rounds at the enemy E.S. Pellegri avoided them easily.

"Pellegri, your fight is with me, not them!" I shouted.

The E.S. Issachar faced me.

"So Orgulla couldn't do her job. That means that we'll have to settle this later."

The mech took off into space.

"Oh no, you don't!"

I forced my wings to emerge, ignoring the horrible pain it created and flew off after her.

* * *

The Elsa

chaos:

I was concerned about Azaria, but we were in worse shape.

"Hurry, captain! We're going to be pulled into the Abyss with the fortress!" Shion shouted.

"Shut up, I know! Tony, what's up?" _Matthews._

"It's no good, Captain. The Logical Drive was damaged in the battle. We don't have enough thrust. Hammer!" _Tony._

"I'm still working on it! Damn, thrust is down 40. It's no good. She's still dropping," Hammer announced.

"What the? Who the hell slammed the ship into this place, anyway?"

_That would be you, idiot._

"Well, it was the Captain's idea, but Tony, you're the one who did the slamming!"

"Shut up! Quit your bitching and do something already! You wanna die here!" Matthews snapped.

There was a series of tremors beneath us.

"We're losing it, Captain! We can't get away!" _Tony._

"At this rate, we're not gonna last another minute!" _Hammer._

Another violent tremor…but this time…

"It's the Durandal!" Jr. exclaimed.

_Right on time._

"Oh thank goodness," Shion exclaimed.

I tapped a few keys and brought up Mary's face.

"Hey, Mary," Jr. said softly.

"Oh, Little Master! Thank goodness you're ok."

"What the heck are you guys doing here, anyway?"

"What? We came here to rescue you!"

"Yeah and I'm grateful for that…but don't you think your timing was too perfect?"

"Master Gaignun instructed us to come here. He said if we let the Little Master handle everything, he was bound to do something reckless." _Shelley._

"And it looks like he was right, huh?" _Mary._

"Nah! He's always treating me like a kid. So, where's the big shot at now, anyway?" _Jr._

"Master Gaignun said he had important business to take care of. He took off for the Federation capital."

_What a second…Fifth Jerusalem?_

"Fifth Jerusalem? What's he doing there at a time like this? Geez…and he's calling me reckless?"

_Yeah, that was pretty reckless._ A chime sounded.

"Elsa recovery complete."

"All right! Let's go back to the Foundation at max speed. If we hang around here, we're gonna get sucked into the Abyss, too," Mary ordered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know this chapter might sound a little confusing, but that's due to the conditions I've been in. I am currently working on Chapter 8, which a filler chapter designed to explain the relationship Yeshua and Azaria. As well, piece of couple of things together. Most likely, I won't be able to update until the weekend. 


	9. Revealed Love

**Chapter 8: Revealed Love**

Kukai Foundation

7:32 A.M.

chaos:

I couldn't stay in the Durandal long, even if I was supposed to be on the Elsa helping with the Logical Drive. I wasn't very happy at the moment, mainly because of Ormus' appearance. I was quickly becoming suspicious now, even though it wasn't in my nature. Margulis was planning to betray me. And I couldn't let that happen.

"chaos, hey, wait up!"

I groaned inwardly. _Little Master must have a homing signal on me or something. _I turned around, trying my best to not look annoyed, which was hard seeing as I was standing in direct sunlight…

"Good Morning, Little Master."

"You're looking kind of sickly, friend. We've all been through a lot. No one would get mad if you decide to rest."

_No one, except for me. _Azaria was still out in space, pursuing Pellegri. She was well out of the way of the 100-Series scanners. It frightened me that my guardian was fighting a battle I couldn't help her with.

"No, I can't rest now," I said simply.

Jr. gave me a worried look.

"Azaria's probably fine. She'll be back soon."

"I hate being helpless like this."

"chaos, you're not helpless. Everyone can do something. Azaria just picked that moment to shine."

Any other time, I would have reverted to my own childish instincts, but now wasn't the time.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have someone that you may l—"

I caught myself before I could say the word love. As a result, I could feel blood rush to my caramel cheeks.

"You might be in love with your childhood guardian?"

_I could feel embarrassment rising…_

"Ah…uh…" I stammered.

"chaos…you have got to learn about the important feelings every now and then. They must not have taught you anything at the Institute."

"Don't mock me, Jr."

Jr. laughed and patted me on the back.

"It's ok, chaos. It's a part of life. I know how you feel."

_Yeah right. I wouldn't even ask Gaignun for advice about love._

"Still…maybe I'm feeling this way because I haven't seen her in fourteen years."

"Maybe."

A fairly strange sensation snaked its way up my arm. Something was going to happen. What was it? I glanced up at the sky and saw a body appear out of nowhere. _A body…_

"No…"

"I don't think that could be her."

_But it was._ Azaria was floating down into the park area…where we stood. I couldn't detect much of a life signature. _Well, she could just be tired,_ I just kept telling myself. Azaria's body landed on the pavement gently. Jr. rushed to her side immediately while I stood there, frozen.

"chaos, come on! She needs help!"

* * *

Azaria:

_Militia was a beautiful planet, much like Earth in many respects. If you didn't know any better, one would think it was Earth. Yeshua loved it. To him it was a new place to fantasize about. Anima was very busy during this time, claiming that he had to put in extra hours with Dmitri Yuriev. With the distraction came new freedom for Yeshua. He was now allowed to leave the Institute during set hours of the day. I think that's when I realized that I was growing very fond of him._

_Of course, fondness was a very natural thing between guardian and charge. But this was different. Perhaps I was falling in love with him. _How silly._ I knew perfectly well that I was young and that I did not know what love was. However, there was something about Yeshua that drew me to him._

"_Azaria, there you are."_

_I almost expected to hear Yeshua's voice, but Anima's voice reached my ears. I turned around and bowed out of respect._

"_Anima do you require my services?"_

"_I came here to remind you that you need to keep Yeshua in tonight."_

Keep Yeshua inside? That's like trying to keep a hyperactive puppy in its cage.

"_May I ask why?"_

"_Yuriev wants to test the effects U-DO has on humans tonight. I don't want Yeshua in harms way."_

"_Testing on people…do you think that's right."_

"_It is not your concern. Just keep Yeshua inside."

* * *

_

My eyes fluttered open, revealing to me the white top of a ceiling. A ceiling? The last thing I saw was the walls of a column. I must have passed out while homing in on Yeshua's location. Of course now I was probably way off track and powerless. It took a lot to chase after Pellegri. Funny thing was that she got away by sheer luck. I sat up slowly, not wanting to push my overtaxed body over the edge. It was extremely possible that I could die from exhaustion.

Yeshua could too. Speaking of which, where was Yeshua? Even before I could answer that, I had to find out where I was. I glanced around slowly. I was in a room with red plush carpeting. _It wasn't a medical wing…so where was I?_ A rug with the word 'Durandal' came into view. I scanned my memory. The Durandal was a ship in use by Gaignun Kukai and his son. It was also known as the headquarters of the government offices of the Kukai Foundation when it was docked. Yeshua worked with the Foundation.

Maybe my fall wasn't so bad after all. But I had to find my charge. I glanced down at myself. I was dressed in loose fitting robes that extended to my knees. I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk around half-naked. The sound of a door sliding open brought my attention to the other part of the room. A girl about seven or eight years old walked in the room, bearing a mug of liquid. She was dressed in a navy blue suit with white boots and a blue beret on her head. Peach colored hair framed her face, matched by peach colored eyes.

"Oh…you're awake. I brought you some tea. It'll help restore your energy faster," The girl said softly.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that," I said gratefully, taking the mug from her hands as soon as she drew near.

"MOMO…I mean, my name is MOMO."

"I'm Azaria."

MOMO smiled.

"That's a pretty name."

"Well, yours is pretty too."

I took a sip, letting my thoughts gather.

"How did I get on the Durandal?" I asked suddenly.

"chaos and Jr. said you fell out of the sky in the Foundation's City Sector. You were unconscious…but not wounded."

_That's right. I was hit by this bizarre energy and blacked out._

"I could have hit the column and died…"

"You were in a U.M.N. transfer column?"

"Yeah, why?"

"All access to the U.M.N. Transfer Columns are down. The only exceptions are the columns to the Kukai Foundation and to Second Militia. Everyone's in a panic over it."

_Could that happen?_

"Did they say what caused it?"

"They think it was an energy phenomenon similar to U-DO."

_Yeshua? No…it wasn't him. But the energy that overwhelmed me felt like his…_

"That's very…unsettling."

MOMO sighed.

"I know."

_Ok, I would have to speak to Yeshua before I did anything else important._

"Do you have some clothes I can borrow temporarily?"

MOMO nodded.

"I left them in the connecting room. I'll be back in fifteen minutes to escort you around the ship."

And with that, she left.

* * *

chaos:

I watched the headlines scroll across the main screen suspended high above the Durandal's bridge. _U.M.N. Transfer Columns damaged. How in the nine hells did that happen?_

"I can't believe it. Who would have that much power to tear a hole in multiple hyperspace columns?" Jr. asked.

_It wasn't Azaria. She dropped out of a column without harm._

"I'm not sure, Little Master. But it is rather unusual that only the Second Militian and Kukai Foundation columns were unaffected," I commented.

"Whatever the case, we're in big trouble."

_Big trouble was right._ Ormus was more than a step ahead of us now. At this rate, they would retrieve the Zohar first. But that wasn't a certainty yet.

"This gives us time to repair the Elsa."

"Good Morning, Jr. and chaos."

MOMO's sweet voice shook me out of the low mood the headlines had caused. I turned around and saw MOMO and Azaria standing on the elevator platform to the bridge. Azaria was wearing a sailor suit-like outfit like MOMO's only it extended down to her knees. Her silver hair was pulled back into a bun with a few stray bangs hanging in her face. Her purple eyes were a bright lavender, meaning that she was feeling a lot better. Somehow, I was very glad.

"Azaria, are you feeling better?" Jr. asked.

Azaria smiled.

"Yes, very much. Thank you." (A/N: Words in bold text is used for Azaria's thought messages..)

'_**Good Morning, Yeshua. You look troubled. What's wrong?'**_

'_The U.M.N. Columns…'_

"So, Jr., what are going to do today?" MOMO asked.

_Well, not much. The Elsa's still undergoing repairs, so we can't fly to Old Militia. There was always the availability of Second Militia. Funny thing was…Wilhelm was probably still there. Our last conversation wasn't all that pleasant to begin with._

"Are we going to be able to go to Second Militia? I have something I want to take care of," Azaria said softly.

I gave her a questioning look.

"I could probably arrange something. Maybe the others would like some free time as well. We can't go to Old Militia until the U.M.N. repairs the network."

"Thank you. I am most grateful, Little Master."

_What was Azaria up to?_

'_What are you up to?'_

Azaria gave me a little wink.

'_**I'm not telling you.'**_

_Heh. Fine, be that way. I have better things to do._

"Little Master, I'm going to retreat to my room. Let me know about your decision."

Twenty Minutes Later

chaos:

"Margulis…I am not happy."

"Archangel…we were concerned about you."

_Like hell you were._ I allowed my eyes to narrow to slits.

"Ormus got into my way. Why is that?"

My voice had become as cold as ice. Worry cropped up behind Margulis's eyes. _Good._

"They wanted to go to Old Militia—"

"Margulis, you know good and well that I don't like Ormus in the equation. Now tell me, what are they doing now?"

"They are heading towards Labyrintos."

_Towards the Zohar. Damn, what a time for the U.M.N. columns to be down. I had to ask Azaria about what happened to knock her out of a column._

"Tell me, Margulis. Are you going to do anything to stop them?"

_I doubt it. I couldn't make him d anything…yet._

"I will try, Archangel."

_You will try and you will fail. I can see it in your eyes and sense it through the connection._

"Keep me posted."

I hit the end key on the terminal in front of me. I was not pleased with the turn of events. I wouldn't be long before I break Wilhelm's rules and meddle in all of the events going on. Of course, in some sick twisted way, I was meddling in the universe's affairs. I checked the time on my bedside table: _9:42 A.M. (FST)_ Little Master should have rounded everyone up by now. I stood up and walked out of my room. Hammer and Tony were both downstairs, making repairs on the Logical Drive.

If I wasn't feeling so suspicious and paranoid, I would cut the work time down by using my power. I smirked and headed up to the air lock of the Elsa. But I was feeling like that today. I walked through the airlock into the Durandal. Everyone was waiting near the escalator leading to the shuttle flight to the Foundation.

"Hey, chaos! It took you long enough!" MOMO said cheerfully.

I smiled and shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sorry. I've just had a lot to do, that's all. Are we ready to go?" I replied.

It amazed me to see how much my mood changed around my allies and my enemies. It was like I had Multiple Personality Disorder. Maybe I do. I wouldn't be surprised.

"The girls are ready to go to Second Militia. The rest of us are staying in the Foundation, just in case something happens," Jr. replied.

I gave Azaria a worried glance. She wasn't ready to venture out anywhere. Falling out of the column had to have sucked her energy away. I didn't like the idea of her going light-years away where danger is likely to catch her. I was about to verbally protest when…

'_**I know what you're thinking. I'll be fine, I promise.'**_

'_But Azaria…'_

'_**No buts…Yeshua. I am the guardian, you're the charge.'**_

_She had a point._

"Please be careful everyone," I said carefully.

The elevator doors to the shuttle opened with a hiss.

'_**I will, Yeshua.'**_

I still felt very uneasy, but I wisely said nothing more. Shion, KOS-MOS, MOMO and Azaria entered the elevator. I turned my head so I couldn't see them leave. _What in the devil was wrong with me? I was worrying about a girl. Normally, I cared about everyone…but it was seemingly killing me to let Azaria go._

"chaos, come on. I know you've wanted to go in the Foundation for the longest," Jr. said.

"I believe that was your idea, Jr. It's not secret that Gaignun gave you permission to drink. Funny how that comes five years too late."

I rode up the escalator to the shuttle boarding area. Jr. stuck his tongue out at me playfully.

"Contrary to your belief, I drink only the best wines. There's a difference."

I rolled my eyes as we boarded the shuttle.

"Jr….you're not a very good liar."

* * *

Second Militia

1:30 P.M.

Azaria:

I had several bags on one arm as I walked down the street with Shion, KOS-MOS and MOMO. The last couple of hours had been very eventful for me. Being imprisoned in the Ormus Stronghold had left me ignorant to the intimacy of freedom.

"So…Azaria, do you have ties to chaos? It seems like you two are close," MOMO mused.

"Well…I knew him when we were young. We grew up together."

MOMO and Shion exchanged excited glances.

"Are you two related?" Shion asked.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well…not everyone knows chaos really well. We figure that you must know all about him if you grew up with him."

_So, Yeshua kept his past secret. What did he have to hide?_

"Ah…I see."

"What was he like?" MOMO asked.

"He was kind…curious…"

_Compassionate…loving…charming…Wait…whoa…why was I thinking about this? I was Yeshua's guardian…not some girl with a crush._

"Ooh……she's blushing…!"

_What?_ My hands instantly flew to my cheeks, feeling the warmth rising up. Shion now had a wide smile on her face.

"Azaria…you wouldn't happen to have a crush on chaos, would you?"

_Yes._

"No!" I said suddenly.

MOMO giggled.

"I think she does."

_I'm such an idiot. Emotions are for fools, I swear. I blew a defeated sounding sigh._

"I…have an attachment to him…maybe."

"It's ok. Crushes are normal, Azaria," MOMO said soothingly.

_Not for me._

"So…Shion I heard you left the Dammërung to go to Old Militia. Aren't you a little bothered by the break we're taking?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Well, we really can't fight the current situation. The U.M.N. Transfer Columns are down and KOS-MOS's E.S. is the only thing that can travel without the aid of a column."

My ears perked up at that tidbit of information. I thought I was only creature/thing that could travel effortlessly through open space to any destination. Yeshua could as well, but there were limitations to his movement.

"I'm sure the U.M.N. will have it fixed by tomorrow," MOMO mused.

_They will._ We continued walking along in silence until I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I stopped in mid stride and dropped my bags onto the ground. MOMO, Shion and KOS-MOS stopped seconds after me.

"Azaria, what's wrong?" Shion asked.

_Wait…I'm supposed to know…but I don't… The hairs on the back of my neck only rose if…gnosis were around._ _But…why would the gnosis be around? The Zohar wasn't on Second Militia and the Foundation was far away. I had no power to help fight._ _Maybe it's a false alarm…_

"Shion, I am detecting several large masses gating out over Second Militia's atmosphere." KOS-MOS stated.

_I hate being correct._

"KOS-MOS is right. The masses appear to be…gnosis!"

_Oh damnit. _I glanced up at the sky. I could already the outline of several flying gnosis coming down.

"KOS-MOS, activate Helbert Effect now!" Shion ordered.

_Hilbert Effect? Bad things happen when the Hilbert Effect is performed…_ Pain cascaded along my back, tearing a gasp from my threat. Milky white waves expanded out from KOS-MOS's form towards the descending gnosis. One by one, the gnosis appeared and my pain intensified. I dropped to my knees, clutching at my back as best as I could. My mind was trying to grasp onto the origin of pain. _Ok…the pain was in my upper back where my wings rested inside of my body. _Now that I identified the source…now I must identify the reason. _I usually use my powers to knock off the gnosis._

_In order to do that…I must transform. _Another wave of pain swept through my back, followed closely by a wave of white hot fire. I had no energy to transform. The pain intensified again. I can't reverse it without some form of power. It was then that I felt the tips of my wings poke through my back.

'_**Yeshua!'

* * *

**_

Kukai Foundation

chaos:

It wasn't surprising when Jr. managed to order a round of alcoholic drinks. I had a feeling that it had something to do with Gaignun (a.k.a Nigredo). My glass of fresh red wine had done nothing to dispel my worries about Azaria. I mean, I just got to see my guardian after fourteen long years. And she had changed so much…

"chaos, what's up?" Jr. asked softly.

"Nothing, Little Master. I'm just enjoying the wine."

"My friend, you have got to liven up."

I laughed.

"What's your definition of livening up, Jr.? I hope it's not drinking obsessively."

Jr. rolled his eyes.

"I have to take the edge off somehow. Trying to keep the universe safe is challenging work, you know."

_Oh…I know._

"It's worth it though," I said wistfully.

"Excuse me?"

I took a sip of wine before continuing.

"The hell you go through to save over a million people…it's worth it knowing that the world will continue to thrive and…your story will be passed down from century to century."

"There you go again, chaos."

I smirked.

"The point is that you listened."

"It's not like I have a choice."

Before I could reply to his comment, a stab of pain shot through my chest. I doubled over in my chair with a hiss.

'_**Yeshua!'**_

Azaria's voice filled my head, drowning out all other thoughts.

'_Azaria…what is going on?'_

'_**I…can't control it!'**_

_Control what?_

'_Control what?'_

'_Trans…'_

Her voice faded off, leaving me to marvelous, unrelenting pain.

"chaos, are you ok?" Jr. asked.

"I-It's Azaria…"

* * *

Second Militia

Azaria:

I knew it caused him pain…but I had to do it. I had to draw Yeshua's energy out to my body. My body began to respond to the warm energy that existed within my charge, which helped guide my transformation along. Most of the pain faded away, enough for me to keep a grasp on reality. MOMO, Shion and KOS-MOS were flanking me loosely, attacking any gnosis that dared to come close. My wings were fully retracted from my back and resting on the ground. Before I knew it, I was back on my feet and staring up at the sky.

_What now?_ Power surged into my veins and into my reserves. _I had to help clear out the gnosis from the planet. That called for a wide area effect spell. Wide area effect spells called for a lot of power._ _Could I do it?_ Yeshua's energy curled itself around my body, like a cat. I could do it.

"Stand back, everyone."

My voice had lost its melodic tone. Now it just sounded harsh and cold. Shion and MOMO gave me a wary glance, but moved further out. I willed my wings to start flapping, ignoring the pain that shot through my back. It wasn't long before I was floating more than a few inches above the pavement. I extended my arms above my head and pulled energy up to my hands. A ball of silver white energy appeared above them.

Several gnosis headed for me, snarling loudly. I smirked. I cupped the ball in my right hand and slapped it with my left. Energy flew out in all directions, tearing through horde of gnosis. Death rattles filled my ears, making me cringe in pity. It let out a sigh of relief when the death chorus stopped.

"All gnosis have been eliminated," KOS-MOS announced.

_That's good._ I glanced at my hands. They were normal…at least I hope they were. I couldn't explain why in the hell my body called for a transformation without me mentally invoking it. I bet Yeshua was probably out cold from the amount of energy I drew from him. I folded my wings and dropped to the pavement effortlessly.

"Wow…that was amazing!" MOMO exclaimed.

"Are you sure you're not related to chaos?" Shion asked.

I allowed my wings to retract within my back.

"No…I'm not."

"You fight like him through," MOMO commented.

I felt fatigue set in as I scooped up my bags.

"Well…I can't very well explain that. I'm tired. Can we go back to the Kukai Foundation?"

"Yeah, we'd better head back."

* * *

Kukai Foundation

3:15 P.M.

chaos:

I hurried into the Infirmary with all of the speed my tired body could muster. The shuttle had just gotten back from Second Militia with the girls. Azaria had apparently fainted as soon as they exited the elevator. I hurried through the double doors into the white room that served as the Infirmary. Shion, MOMO, and Jr. were standing in the corner around a bed. I walked up to them, heart threatening to burst out of my chest. My guardian was sitting up with a small paper cup in her hands. Her eyes were a dull purple color and her skin was slightly pale.

"Azaria…" I breathed.

Shion, MOMO and Jr. nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the both of us alone.

"Yeshua…I know I scared you…"

_Damn right, you did._

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're back safe and sound."

Azaria drew in a soft breath and glanced into my eyes. Relief and worry flashed behind those eyes of hers.

"I don't know what happened. My body…it just transformed."

"Do you know why?"

"I usually use my powers to banish gnosis, but it is usually invoked by my mind. This time…KOS-MOS's Hilbert Effect triggered it."

_Hilbert Effect? That doesn't interfere with our bodies._

"That's not normal."

Azaria blinked slowly.

"I know."

"Azaria…I was terrified when I heard about the gnosis attack. I-I didn't know what to do. I couldn't bear to lose you again. Not after fourteen years. You've grown into something that I can't let go, Azaria! I guess I…"

_Wow…another emotional outburst. And in one breath too._

"You what?"

"…I-I've grown to love you."

I waited for what seemed like eternity for her to answer. Azaria slowly embraced me gently, lovingly almost.

"I've loved you ever since you made that butterfly for me out of that water. I…just never realized it until now."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Phew. That was a stretch for me. There ya go, people. Filler is good. Next chapter will be right back on track again. 


	10. Back on Task

**Chapter 9: Back on Task**

Kukai Foundation

The Next Day

Azaria:

_It was hard to keep the curious lion cub known as Yeshua inside of the Institute. I hated to keep him locked up just so Anima could test U-DO's effect on humans. It was barbaric, really. But it wasn't my place to say so._

"_Azaria, I wanna go out and play," Yeshua whined for about the tenth time._

"_Anima gave us strict orders not to go outside tonight."_

_He gave me an annoyed look and a pout. _I hated when he pouted. It was so…cute.

"_But can't we just open a window?"_

"_Yeshua, go to bed. Stop worrying about the outdoors, honestly. I'm doing this for your health."_

_Yeshua pouted and climbed into his bed._

"_Please…could you crack open the window?"_

"_Ok, I will."

* * *

_

chaos:

I glanced down at my guardian's pale face and allowed a small smile to grace my lips. She was so beautiful and angelic while at rest. She was even more beautiful when we indulged in each other. _Indulging…was that wrong?_ I stood up and stretched lightly. Azaria made a soft noise and turned onto her side. After fourteen long years…we were finally back together. _And I loved her…and she was in love with me._ In a way, this was very dangerous. Falling in love with my guardian was setting me up for a situation I couldn't handle.

"…Yeshua…you seem distressed. What's wrong?"

I turned to face the love of my life, who was loosely wrapped up in the sheets that made up my bed.

"Nothing, Azaria."

Azaria gave me a wary look.

"I have a feeling that you're lying, but I will not press you further."

_Even if you knew what I was thinking, would you be so calm…so nurturing? I share the same fear every man has about his significant other in these times. Even though we shared the same powers and wavelength, death could claim her just as easily as it did Sakura._

"Honestly, Azaria, I'm fine."

"Yeshua, it's my job to worry about you. I was assigned as your guardian. Besides…I'm curious as to why you would hide your past."

_Fantastic. That was the last thing I needed to talk about._

"They don't need to know what they won't understand."

"How do you know they won't understand?"

I felt ire creeping up my spine.

"How would you like being accepted as a murderer?" I snapped.

Azaria gave me a pleading look and shook her head.

"What happened years ago was an accident…nothing more. No one will judge you."

_I hated it when she was so calm…and when I was so upset._

"Shut up! How would you know…you didn't murder someone!"

"Yeshua!"

Azaria's voice was lined with venom and power. I immediately shut my mouth and quieted down. In all of my years, I had never heard her use a forceful tone like that.

"I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

"It has something to do with the Zohar, doesn't it?"

_Well, I really wasn't eager to run to confront Ormus._

"I'm afraid U-DO will arise again."

Azaria got up from the bed and approached me. The sheets entangled around her lithe frame had partially unwound around her legs, revealing polished ivory skin.

"Everyone's afraid of that. It's not just you."

"I know."

She touched her face with her hand gently.

"There will not be another conflict like fourteen years ago. We'll see to that."

"You're right."

"I know."

* * *

9:43 A.M.

Azaria:

Yeshua left me in his personal room, claiming that he had to help Hammer with the Logical Drive. He was going to think, basically. Based on what I heard yesterday, the Elsa's Logical Drive was up and safely running. It was a question of whether the transfer columns were stable enough to travel. I hoped they were. I glanced at myself in the large mirror hanging above Yeshua's dresser. _Hmm…not bad. Not bad at all._ After admiring myself for a little while, I walked out of Yeshua's bedroom.

I was on the first wing of the Durandal's Residence Hall near the train stop. I wasn't in the mood to look for anyone today. However, I wanted to take a walk through the Kukai Foundation. I was sure that Little Master and Yeshua wouldn't mind. I walked into the train stop room and headed right for the gate.

"**What is your destination?"**

"Dock."

"**Destination Accepted."**

The gate slid open, allowing access to the train. I walked inside and sat down. The doors slid closed with a hiss, leaving me in a large tube…all by myself. (Thank the gods I didn't have claustrophobia.) There was a slight lurch as the train started up towards its destination. It wasn't long before the train stopped again and the doors slid open. I got up and walked out into the biggest part of the Durandal: the Dock. It fascinated me to know that the Durandal could house two full spaceships or more, over a thousand people and dock with a colony. _Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable._

There were people mulling about the dock, absorbed in their own conversations. I headed towards the escalator in order to board the shuttle to the Foundation. All the while I could feel people's stares on my back. So this is what Yeshua dealt with. I could imagine that he must have gotten some kind of questioning, seeing as he was a close friend of Little Master. Then again, I didn't mind the attention.

I had accepted my fate a long time ago on Militia. I wasn't ashamed of my powers and most certainly not my body. I proceeded through the gate in a shuttle half full of people. I ignored their stares and took a seat next to the window.

* * *

chaos:

I idly tapped a few keys on my keyboard. I was sitting at my chair on Elsa's bridge. Hammer, Tony, and Captain Matthews were out in the Durandal, taking care of their business. That was certainly good, since I needed time to be by myself. I sensed that Azaria had left the Durandal for the Foundation. I considered following her to ensure her safety, but I thought the better of it. My mind still lingered on what we did last night.

_It was an act of passion…yes, I know. What if she became pregnant? Space would be unforgiving to her…or at least that's what I thought. She was like me…so our powers were the same._ I sighed heavily. _There was too much to think about right now._ _Azaria came at the most pivotal point in my life. I'm still trying to come to terms with myself. Of course, it was hard to chew and digest…the fact that U-DO helped me kill my father and brothers. And here I was again…going after the original Zohar—the primary source of U-DO._ I had to admit that I was somewhat frightened about going. _What if U-DO possessed me again? Would my friends have to kill me?_

_Would Azaria kill me? I was scared. Really scared. With a name like Yeshua, I couldn't afford to be frightened or upset. _I sighed. _Getting fresh air now wouldn't help my troubled mind. For now, I would focus on something mindless.

* * *

_

Kukai Foundation

Azaria:

I could sense Yeshua's distress through our quickly strengthening mind-link. I didn't want to talk to him, especially since he was on the Elsa. I didn't want to disturb him or let him know that I could sense his emotions. We both needed time to breathe. I walked through the tunnel and emerged into the city. All kinds of noise and scents reached my nose and my ears. I glanced around slowly, taking in all that I could see. There was a bar called the 'Ironman' with all of its doors propped open.

More chatter drifted out from said doors. I considered going in to get a drink or two, but thought the better of it. I had been on the Ormus Stronghold so long that I had forgotten how much resistance my body had to alcohol. I didn't need to run around drunk and end up doing unmentionable things. I continued further down the street, past the 'Our Treasure Hotel' into the Second Sector.

"Azaria, it's good to see you here."

_What the…?_ I whipped around, searching for a face to match with the voice. Of course, I didn't recognize who it was…which made me very suspicious. My gaze fixed on a young man with a tan cloak that hid most of his features. What stood out the most was his blood red eyes and blonde hair. He reminded me a lot of the CEO of Vector, Wilhelm. (A/N: Now I know you're asking…what the hell does Wilhelm do in his space time…)

"Who are you and how do you know my name?"

The young man smiled gently.

"I know your name from the Compass of Order. And my name is Wilhelm."

_Wilhelm…I knew it._

"Why are you here? The transfer columns wouldn't allow the Dammërung to come this far."

"You're right."

_I swear he was almost as secretive as Yeshua._

"Then how did you get here?"

"I have my ways. Now, I have to talk to you about something important."

I folded my arms.

"Talk."

"It's about Yeshua. You must not allow him to go to Old Militia. The Compass of Order has changed completely and it is not going to be good."

"I can't stop him, Wilhelm."

"Azaria, you must understand. U-DO will rise again. I know you don't want an incident like what happened on Old Militia to happen."

I narrowed my eyes.

"How do you know about that?"

"If you allow him to keep going, it's going to kill your unborn child."

_What?_ Before I could say anything else, he vanished in thin air. I glanced down at my stomach. _How could I be pregnant?_ I shook my head vigorously. _No way. Wilhelm was a liar. He had to be lying…wasn't he?_

'_Azaria, come back to the bridge of the Durandal.'_

Yeshua's voice sent a wave of relief surging through my mind.

'_**Okay, Love, I'm coming.'

* * *

**_

Fifteen Minutes Later

Azaria:

"So, what's the enemy's status?" Jr. asked.

"I'm afraid I don't have very good news. The Immigrant Fleet has already descended into Militia," Shelley replied.

_Good news is that we did slow them down. With careful hacking, I could prevent them from leaving until we got there._

"Damn. We don't have much time. If we don't hurry, we're gonna lose the Zohar."

"Little Master, there's a transmission from Helmer. Shall I accept it?"

"Yeah, hook us up."

A large screen with Representative Helmer's face appeared above the bridge.

"Helmer, I'm sorry. We let them get ahead of us," Jr. said apologetically.

"It's all right. It's more important that you're safe. I'm glad you made it back."

_Helmer…_

"So, what's the situation now?"

"I'm afraid the news is grim. It seems like the Parliament's been thrown into complete disarray."

"What's going on with the Federation fleet? Don't tell me they're just standing around watching."

"No, they've already been deployed on a decent mission, but it's too late. As long as the possibility exists that the enemy already has the Zohar, the Federation can't make any large-scale overtures."

"They won't get away, Representative Helmer. That I promise," I stated tersely.

"So I guess it's up to us now," Jr. muttered.

"I'm acutely aware of the danger, but there's no one else we can turn to right now. Please lead us your aid," Helmer ordered.

"All right. We'll get the Zohar. You can count on it."

The transmission window closed. I blew a heavy sigh. I was pushing it…my body by traveling through space. I still hadn't collected enough energy to use spells. But I couldn't leave Yeshua alone.

"Are the U.M.N. Columns up?" I asked.

Shelley nodded.

"Yes, access to the Old Militia columns are limited, but up," She replied.

"Everyone pack your things and move on the Elsa. We leave in a hour," Jr. ordered.

* * *

Elsa

One Hour Later

Azaria:

I sat my bags down in Yeshua's private room, located further down from the boys and girl's cabins. Surprisingly, Yeshua was near the bottom of the ship checking all of the systems out now. I couldn't sense very much from him other than tranquilly. I always wondered how he could stay that calm with the fact that we were heading towards our doom.

"chaos, Azaria, report to the bridge immediately."

_They act like I'm employed or something. Still, they could need me for something._ I exited Yeshua's room and walked along the hallway leading to my destination. I wasted no time heading up the ramp and through the double doors into the bridge. Everyone was standing around inside, chatting lightly amongst themselves. Yeshua was already in his chair, typing lightly on the keyboard. I had to wonder how he got here so fast.

"Are we ready to launch?" I asked.

"Tony, hit it!" Captain Matthews ordered.

"Ormus has gotten one step ahead of us. We have no idea if they are ready to launch or not. It will take us a couple of hours to get to Old Militia," Jr. mused.

'_Ormus will launch soon. Do you have any suggestions?'_

_Now you are talking to me._

'_**I may.'**_

'_Share it then. We don't have much time.'_

_Yeshua was being very bossy today…_

"Excuse me, Little Master, but I believe I have a way to stall Ormus so that we can arrive safely," I said loudly.

Jr. looked at me curiously.

"How?"

I fished in my pocket and brought out a small black communicator that rested on my ear.

"With this, I can hack into computer systems and manipulate them. It's very easy. chaos, hand me a data link cable."

I moved over to his chair and put the communicator on my ear. Yeshua gave me a wary look and handed me a data cable. I hooked the cable up and motioned for him to get up. He did without hesitation.

'_Be careful.'_

'_**I'll be fine.'**_

I entered a series of keys in, blinking rapidly as numbers and letters drifted across my vision. I closed my eyes and focused on the U.M.N. network. More numbers went by as I entered and tailored what was needed. Seconds later, I was unplugging the communicator from the cable.

"All done."

I opened my eyes only to see everyone looking at me in awe.

"Are you a realian?" Shion asked.

_Ha…I always get asked that question._

"No…I taught myself how to do this while I was contained on the Ormus Stronghold. It allowed me to keep up with chaos in my own way," I replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small smirk tug at Yeshua's lips.

"Wow…I didn't think a human could handle all of that."

"So, what did you do?" Hammer asked.

_Good question._

"As you know…there are only two columns around Old Militia. We are currently on our way through one of them. I simply just tailored the codes to not let any ship return back until I'm ready. And that's the easy part."

"That's excellent. Well, everyone we have two hours to get ready. Get some rest."

* * *

3:19 P.M.

chaos:

_Gazing in the limits of space…or at least what the eyes can see..._ I gazed at the simulated stars floating above me and sighed. _Was it really worth it? I could hide away in the corners of the universe—no one would find me. Maybe I could take Azaria with me. Would she approve?_ I shifted my body gently under the soft downy sheets that covered my skin. I was wearing my favorite pair of shorts: black, tiny and form fitting.

Sometimes I got overheated and sat around with my shirt off. This was one of those times. (A/N: And the fangirls are dying…) A wisp of cold air drifted out of the parted lips circling around in the cold air. I was so intent on being alone that I isolated myself to think.

"Master chaos, you have an audio transmission from the Dammërung."

_Wilhelm insisted on bothering me…_

"Patch it through," I said dryly.

"Yeshua, I know you aren't happy with me, but you have to listen to this transmission."

"Play it."

"It's good to see you awake again, Dr. Yuriev."

I suddenly felt much colder inside. _Yuriev was alive. Oh god…Nigredo…_

"Sorry I'm late. I didn't think it would take this long for me to recover. How's the situation?"

"Extremely chaotic, sir. The Federation's grown tired over the past fourteen years and many unstable fractions have arisen."

"And U-DO?"

"Fourteen years ago, one of the U.R.T.V.'s made partial contact with it, causing a medium-scale space-time anomaly alteration. Since then, it's been obstructed by two black holes. Even now we cannot confirm the state of its existence."

_They must be talking about Albedo._

"All right. Ready my forces. I'll contact you again shortly."

"Yes, sir. By the way, how are you feeling? I heard your old body was disposed of."

"I feel great. There's only so much lifespan-extension one can achieve. But now I'm fine. Thanks to my son. That is…the son who killed me."

_Oh god…Nigredo. He was talking about Nigredo._

"That's all of it, Yeshua," Wilhelm said calmly.

"Yuriev…how in the world…"

"I know, but I'm gone."

_This was troubling news. Troubling indeed. I would have to talk to Azaria soon. Maybe she would know something.

* * *

_

Azaria:

The long ride did nothing to calm my nerves. I did manage to have most of my energy saved up. Meditation does wonders. I considered talking to Yeshua about Wilhelm's sudden appearance, but I thought the better of it. He was in another pensive mood right now. I couldn't tell him about my fear of pregnancy. _Gods…I'm such an idiot._ I smoothed my long hair out of my face and sighed. The two hour traveling time was up. Any moment now, we would be descending into what was left of Militia.

"Everyone report to the bridge. We are entering Militia's atmosphere."

_Spoke too soon._ I walked up the ramp and through the double doors into the bridge. _The Submerged City…stuck in time…like I remembered…_

"Oh, wow! The capital looks just like it used to," Hammer commented.

_It was not a pleasant feeling seeing this again._

"Everything's exactly like it was then. Time has stopped in this world," Jr. mused.

"The country of the hills of Mud, the land of Mu, was sacrificed. Being twice up-heaved, it suddenly disappeared in one night. At last the surface gave away…and they sank along with their countries."

_Yeshua?_

"What's that?" Shion asked.

"A fairy tale. A story about a land that vanished into the sea one night, long ago."

"Sacrificed…it definitely feels like it just looking at this place."

"Yes it does."

"Attention passengers. We'll soon be arriving at the designated coordinates. There's no way we're gonna get any further in this hunk of metal. So, if you wanna check inside any of those buildings, you're gonna have to do it on your own."

"All right! Let's finish this!" Jr. exclaimed.

"This area used to be the capital of Old Militia. The area up ahead was ground zero fourteen years ago. It was filled with U-TIC Organization facilities. The area that handled the most important research was…" _Canaan._

"Labyrinthos. The original Zohar should still be sleeping deep inside it," Jin muttered.

"Rubedo, your objective is to secure the original Zohar, correct?" Canaan asked.

Jr. gave Shion a puzzled look. The Vector Industries employee was looking very…

"Yeah. Um…Shion, are you all right?"

"What? Ah yes. (Cecily and Cathe may be there as well.)" Shion replied.

The last part of her reply was said very low… So who were Cecily and Cathe?

"Hmm? Did you say anything?" Jr. asked.

"No, it's nothing."

'_She's hiding something.'_

"Now we can finally analyze the data in my head," Canaan commented.

"Yes. We should hurry," Jin said softly.

"I agree. The Immigrant Fleet should already be here, but it's really quiet. That has me worried."

"Let's go suit up in the E.S.'s."

* * *

Old Militia

chaos:

Azaria and Ziggy walked in front of the E.S. Dinah, staying in range of our sensors. Of course, I didn't approved of her staying outside of the E.S.'s, especially with what happened yesterday. Naturally, she assured me that she could handle herself. After a moment or so of arguing, I dropped the subject entirely. Ziggy suggested that she walk in front of the E.S. Dinah so that if something went wrong, I could react appropriately.

"Enemy units coming within sensor range. Preparing for battle," KOS-MOS announced.

I tapped a few keys on the keyboard and brought up four screens. On the first and second screens was Jr. and MOMO. The third screen showed the outside of the E.S. and the last screen showed the list of weapons and techniques that were available.

"Did everyone get that announcement?" I asked while scrolling down the list of attacks with my hand.

"Roger, preparing for battle," Jr. and MOMO echoed.

_Good…now to check up on Azaria._ She and Ziggy were already in motion, cutting through the ranks of enemy mechs with ease. My guardian had borrowed Jin's sword so that she could function without the use of energy. She was using it perfectly, coupling her speed and strength with unbelievable grace.

"Opening fire," KOS-MOS announced.

The E.S. Dinah lifted its cannon arm and fired a mighty blast into the lines of mech. I smirked and chose the technique 'Chained Blast' from the menu. The E.S. Dinah jumped into the air, unleashing blast after blast into the ranks. Azaria was dancing in-between each blast, cutting at the enemies that were not brought down by my attack. Minutes later, they were all gone from the sensors.

"Enemy retreat confirmed," MOMO and KOS-MOS announced.

'_Azaria, are you all right? Do we need to switch?'_

'_**I had no idea E.S.'s were that powerful. I have to be a little bit more careful next time.'**_

'_You're hurt?'_

'_**It's just a few scratches that's all. Let's continue.'**_

I wanted to comment, but wisely bit my tongue. I suppose I'll never get used to the fact that she's still my guardian. The rest of the walk was relatively quiet, until we found our way into the city's center. It was there that we caught sight of a rather large ship on the walkway to Labyrinthos.

"Let me go and check it out, you guys," Jr. said softly.

"Be careful, Jr.," MOMO muttered.

"Why is this damn thing not working?"

_External speakers?_

"External speakers?" Jr. asked.

"We have mobilized all units, but we're all exhausted from training earlier. May I—"

A loud smack was heard.

"Line up, maggots! Did you pansies already forget your training? Do you know how bad you made me look? Listen to me! What you think means nothing! What you want means nothing! You do as I say! I am the boot in your buttocks! You! What is your problem? Were you born that dumb or did your drunk mama slap you on the wrong end when you squirted out? Why are you laughing? Do I amuse you? I'm tired of all you pantywaist nitwits! You make me physically ill! Drop and give me a million! I will break you!"

I shook my head and selected 'Chained Blast' from the menu.

"KOS-MOS, prepare to fire," I muttered.

"Charging…50 percent," KOS-MOS replied.

"Enemy unit discovered on deck! Standby!"

_Damn!_

"What did you say?"

"Damnit! They found us!" Jr. exclaimed.

'_Azaria, you and Ziggy take cover behind the E.S. Asher. This may get dangerous.'_

"All hands, prepare for battle! Target the Vector A.M.W.S.!"

There was an audible click as all the cannons locked in place. Four hovering droids appeared afterwards, two hovering on each side of the cannon. Azaria and Ziggy quickly dashed behind the E.S. Asher.

"This is not a drill! Show me everything you've got!"

"Releasing chained blast," KOS-MOS announced.

I tore my attention from the screen showing the outside of the E.S. Dinah and focused on the status screen.

"The droids are limitless. We'll have to think of another strategy," MOMO announced.

"The cannons! Hit the cannons!" Azaria shouted.

I tapped the keys vigorously and brought up the weapon targeting screen. A small joystick positioned itself at my keyboard. I grabbed a hold of it and waited for the red crosshair to line up. I was just about to fire when I saw Azaria move into my sight.

"Azaria!" I shouted.

"I have to break the shields, chaos! Cover me!"

I wanted nothing more than to snatch her out of the line of fire…but I thought the better of it. I punched a few keys on the keyboard in front of me and squeezed the trigger button. Two of the droids farthest away from us blew up. I watched my guardian narrowly dodge two beams before squeezing the trigger again. The two leftover droids blew up, leaving the field all clear. While taking complete advantage of the situation, Azaria climbed onto the cannons and started charging a spell.

"chaos, the droids are coming back! You need to get Azaria out of there!" Jr. shouted.

Seconds after those words reached my ears, the droids reappeared. In one moment, they all opened fire on Azaria. Two beam stuck her in her side, forcing her to drop her swords and her spell. She stumbled off of the cannons and on the deck of the ship, narrowly missing the other two beams. Without knowing it, I punched in a key on the keyboard.

E.S. Dinah jumped in action, effortlessly cutting through the droids with its blue plasma swords. A large explosion followed afterwards, drawing my mind away from the shock I'd just experienced. Azaria was standing in front of the charred remains of the cannons, clutching her side with one hand. I pressed the button to open the cockpit and stood up. As soon as it opened, I jumped out onto the deck of the ship. MOMO was already there, examining Azaria's wounded side.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" I asked, allowing anger to slip into my voice.

"chaos, calm down. It was—" MOMO started to say.

"MOMO, it's all right. He has a right to be angry," Azaria interrupted calmly.

"Ok…"

"You knew you were weak, Azaria, so why didn't you ask for our help?"

"Y-chaos, you would have run out of energy if I didn't try to break the shields."

"It was very foolish of you."

"Foolish? chaos, I am your guardian! I risk my life so that you may continue to be safe! But I see you don't need that anymore!"

Azaria pushed MOMO away and took off running across the deck towards Labyrinthos.

"Damn…"


	11. Labyrinthos and UDO

**Chapter 10: Labyrinthos and U-DO**

Azaria:

_It was hard to go to sleep when Yeshua was inside and very much awake. He had a tendency to keep calling me through the bracelet. He finally settled down around midnight in a calm stupor. (Thanks to my secret weapon!) I walked into my room, which was located on the other side of the Institute. My room was fairly cozy, with the walls painted a deep shade of blue, a canopy bed in the center and the small mats that I spent hours meditating on. I wasn't really tired, so I figured that I would lie down on my bed._

'_Azaria…'_

Ok…_ I paused in the center of the room. I thought Yeshua was asleep…_

_**'Yeshua?' **I sent my thought to the bracelet._

_Nothing. Not a whimper or a whine. So…who or what was in my head? I glanced around my room carefully. I didn't see anyone. I checked my senses. _Nope…nothing moving. Gods, you're so paranoid, Azaria. Get a grip or something. And I was supposed to be the rational one.

'_Azaria…I know you can hear me. Tell me…what does it take to kill someone?'_

_That voice sounded a lot like Yeshua's. _But why would Yeshua talk about killing?

**_'Yeshua…is that you?'_**

'_Maybe.'_

_**'Yeshua…'**_

'_I feel different…powerful…'_

Ok…

_**'You're scaring me.'**_

'_I'm going to kill them—my brothers. The voice…the voice says so. I must obey…'_

_I turned towards the door._

**_'I won't let you, Yeshua.'_**

_Laughter poured out from behind my door._

"_Don't you hear the song, guardian? That maddening song…?"_

Song? I didn't hear anything…

"_I don't hear it. Are you outside of my door?" I asked._

_The laughter stopped._

"_I won't let you stop me."_

He was joking, right? _I moved to my door and placed my hand on the doorknob. There was a loud click and nothing more._

"_Don't do this, Yeshua!" I warned while twisting the knob on the door._

_It wouldn't turn._

"_Don't worry, guardian. I'll take care of my brothers and Anima. After that, I'll come for you. And I'm going to enjoy that."_

I shuddered as I walked around the large circular hole in the middle of the chamber I was in. My senses were on fire…mostly because the presence of U-DO filled this place. I hated U-DO. I hated it because it made Yeshua into a monster. I hated it because…it lived inside of me as well. I became infected by U-DO when I had to force him out of my mind in order to defend myself. _I…shouldn't have come down here alone. Labyrinthos gave me a very uneasy feeling…like something was watching me._

_Even if I could use my powers to search the building, I wouldn't get a correct reading. _Two gates shielded the entrance to the elevator in the middle of the hole. It would take me far too long for me to unlock those gates normally…so hacking was in order. I pulled my communicator out and placed it on my ear.

"Child of darkness…"

_What the hell?_ I whipped around, eyes darting from side to side. _Nothing…_

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Why are you here? You do not belong here."

"I don't need you to tell me that. How do you…"

"Oh, Azaria…you are so naïve."

I felt something move behind me and whipped around. Something hit the back of my head…and I knew nothing more.

* * *

Labyrinthos

chaos:

"That's odd. This place somehow feels different than the others," Jin commented.

We were all standing in the middle of a room…or rather a hallway with one doorway covered in cobwebs. I wanted to think that Azaria hadn't come through here. But she had…

"You're right. It almost looks like there were people still working here recently," Canaan commented.

_Well, maybe recently…with Ormus invading the building._

"Nanomachines gone out-of-control…" Ziggy muttered.

"I have heard of nanomachines making rooms and passageways on their own," MOMO suggested.

"No. No, it doesn't feel like that. This is more like…like some sort of consciousness is at work here," Shion said softly.

_U-DO. It's U-DO._

"It's U-DO. Its presence has spread this far out," Jr. informed.

_Yet another reason why I didn't want to be here._

"It would appear our destination is right in front of us," Jin pointed out.

"Yeah. There's no time to lose," Jr. muttered.

* * *

Azaria:

I regained my senses moments later after the blow to my head. I quickly realized with the slightest tilt of my head that I wished I hadn't gotten up. Pain erupted in my skull, forcing a gasp from my lips. _Gods, I had taken a cheap blow._

"I see you're awake, child of U-DO."

_Uh…that voice again!_ I carefully lifted my head up and met the chilling eyes of…

"Margulis!" I hissed.

Margulis laughed and folded his arms.

"So you recognized me. That's excellent."

_How could I not remember you?_

"You're the one who's trying to manipulate Yeshua…or at least betray him."

"Yeshua is a fool if he thinks he can control Ormus."

_So that's what this was about._

"You snatched me in order to make Yeshua cooperate?"

"Well, that's not all I want you for. You seem to forget that you and Yeshua are the only celestial beings in existence. And you, my dear Azaria, are tainted with U-DO and the gnosis."

A warning flag went up in my mind. My contamination was only known to the doctors that worked at the Yuriev Institute.

"How did you find that out?" I asked, ignoring the overwhelming sense to run.

"I have my ways of finding out."

"I'm leaving."

I stumbled back onto my feet and turned around. Margulis was standing right in front of me. Fear smacked into me head on, making me stumble backwards. I immediately tapped into my power reserves…only to find that I couldn't get it to respond. U-DO danced around in my senses, making my vision slightly hazy.

"How close do you think you are to the Zohar?" Margulis asked while regarding me coldly.

"What are doing to me?"

I was actually afraid for myself now. I had no weapons and my powers were being nullified.

"I'm not doing anything to you. You have your body to thank for that."

"I won't let you take me!"

"Too bad. I have some plans for you."

* * *

Fifteen Minutes Later

chaos:

Nothing could prepare me for what I saw when we walked into the area below the control room.

"My gods, Azaria…" I whispered.

My guardian was floating above us, limp and unconscious. Blood dripped down from her arms, which were looking fairly pale.

"How do we get her down?" Jr. asked.

As if on cue, her body dropped to the ground with a hollow thud. Without hesitation, I scooped her up into my arms. _Ok…vitals ok…breathing fine…energies normal._

"Is she ok?" MOMO asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, she's fine…for the most part. Let's get into the control room."

I followed the others onto the elevator that lifted us up to the room. The control room was a medium-sized room filled with equipment and a…maintenance bed. _How convenient._

"This must be Labyrinthos' main terminal," Canaan muttered.

"So it would seem. Canaan, the powerful protection placed on the data within you uses the wave pattern emitted by the Zohar. We should be able to remove it with this terminal," Jin commented.

_I know Canaan's happy about that._ I watched as Canaan sat in the seat and Jin approached the console.

"Well, we finally made it. At last, we can set you free from your curse, Canaan," He added.

"I'd appreciate it if you could hurry. I really don't want something like this in my head any longer than I need to," Canaan snapped.

"Hey, just what is the data inside of Canaan, anyway?" Shion asked.

_Oh…it just tells the identity of the bastard who caused the Militian Conflict, that's all._

"Put simply, it contains the identity of the mastermind behind the Militian Conflict," Jin answered.

"Hold on a second. The mastermind behind the Conflict was…"

"The madman, Joachim Mizrahi. At least, that's what everyone thinks. But just because most people believe something doesn't necessarily mean that it's true."

_Exactly._

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"You're about to find out."

I sat Azaria down against the wall as Jin activated the console he was next to.

"You're familiar with the U-TIC Organization?" Jin asked.

"Sure. It's the organization established by Joachim Mizrahi to study the Zohar," Shion commented.

"We've gone through hell, thanks to them," Jr. snapped.

"So what about the U-TIC?"

"The U-TIC Organization was originally a part of the Federation. Professor Mizrahi was apparently using the data he obtained from studying the Zohar to convert U-TIC into a military organization. But he never actually told the Federation government. He kept them in the dark. But there's something else that's strange about this. It takes an enormous amount of money to fund research and weaponry. Yet, there's no evidence that the Federation ever provided that kind of financial backing," Jin explained.

"So someone else was funding them from behind the scenes?" Shion asked.

"That's right. Almost all of the U-TIC Organization's enterprises were nothing more than dummy corporations. That is, all except one."

"Just one?"

"This data includes recorded information regarding a business known as Hyams. It's highly likely that this company was the one that actually provided the money. And…the head of the Hyams outfit, a man named Heinlein, happens to be one of the cardinals of the Immigration Fleet."

_Basically, the cardinal of Ormus._

"So, are you saying that the U-TIC Organization has connections to the Immigrant Fleet?" Jr. asked.

"Did Daddy…have connections to the Immigrant Fleet, too?" MOMO asked.

"No. I presume Professor Mizrahi was merely being used. Their objective was to acquire research data on the Zohar. Even the Realian outbursts that sparked the Militian Conflict was believed to be part of their experiments. But something else happened that they couldn't have predicted," Jin answered.

"U-DO awoke and the door to purgatory opened," Jr. muttered.

_You mean I happened._

"And the Gnosis appeared…" Shion muttered.

"Everyone must have thought it was the end of the world. But that didn't happen. MOMO, the truth of the matter is, your father wasn't a madman at all. In the ensuing chaos, Professor Mizrahi had to make a vital decision in order to prevent the worst-case scenario," Jin commented.

"What decision?" MOMO asked.

"He knew he had to somehow isolate the Zohar, U-DO, and all of Militia, and seal their power in a place where no one could touch it."

"So, the reason Militia was swallowed up by the Abyss was because Professor Mizrahi…" Shion mused.

"A great many people were sacrificed for his sake. That's probably the reason he brought judgment down upon himself. To put an end to everything. Your father tried to save the world you were about to be born into. And then he entrusted his secrets to you, the one he could trust most, MOMO."

"Daddy…I knew it! I'm so…I'm so happy!" MOMO exclaimed.

"Wait a second. So if we just hand over the Zohar to the Immigrant Fleet, they'll…" Shion started.

"Yes, they will likely repeat the tragedy from fourteen years ago. Please go on without me. I'm going to send this data to Representative Helmer. Canaan, please handle the data backup."

"Understood," Canaan answered.

_So this was it. I would be accompanying my friends to the Zohar._ I turned around and picked Azaria up into my arms again. She didn't make a sound.

"All right everyone, let's go," I ordered.

It didn't take us long to find our way into the Zohar Isolation Area. And then…Margulis appeared.

"You!" Ziggy snarled.

Margulis glanced at us. Azaria twitched violently.

"I see. No wonder the air defense system was useless. Right, U.R.T.V.?" Margulis commented.

Jr. snarled.

"Don't…don't call me that!"

Margulis laughed.

"That Helmer…he's certainly managed to assemble an impressive ensemble. But your coming here now is pointless. We've already accomplished our objective. The Zohar is now under our control. There's nothing you can do. The outcome is already decided."

"What the hell are you thinking? That thing is way beyond anything you can handle. Do you have any idea what's gonna happen?"

"Of course I do."

Margulis took his sword out of its sheath.

"Zohar…Zohar!" Azaria managed to whisper.

_Ok…Azaria's freaking out now…_

"The annoying Gnosis as well as a few pathetic, weed-like humans, who are arguably even more worthless than the Gnosis, are going to disappear. Just like Ariadne," Margulis commented.

"You bastard!" Jr. snarled.

"But weak as your position is, we still can't allow anything to interfere with our plans."

"W-Watch out!" Azaria choked out.

A fireball erupted from his sword, headed right for us. Just before it could hit us, a wave of ice intercepted the fireball's path, creating a temporary peal of blinding light. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to filter it out.

"It's been fourteen years, hasn't it, Uzuki?" Margulis asked.

_Jin?_

"Personally, I would have preferred to never see you again."

The light faded away from the attack, allowing me to open my eyes in comfort. Azaria was squirming in my arms, very much conscious.

"Jin!" Shion gasped.

I backed up and sat Azaria gently on her feet.

"The blade is for carving one's heart, not for turning against the masses. That's what our master once said, was it not?" Jin asked.

**_'Are…they rivals?'_** Azaria asked mentally.

Margulis laughed.

"This is perfect. I can't believe you're still a part of this, Uzuki. Once again you insist on standing against me."

'_Yeah.'_

_**'Yeshua…U-DO…the Zohar…'**_

"There were still a few things I wanted to look into. These people were nice enough to give me a lift," Jin commented.

"Absurd…"

"Nothing has changed here. You know, it was careless of you not to erase those records fourteen years ago. Now you can never return to the Federation. Or perhaps, were you a bit too busy to worry about that at the time?"

"I see you still talk too much. Very well. If you really want to know…you'll have to use that sword to make me talk!"

Margulis lifted his sword.

"Naturally. That was my intent."

Jin jumped down in front of the group. Azaria grabbed my arm and whimpered.

'_What's wrong, Azaria?'_

**_'I…'_**

"Do not expect this to end like it did before, Uzuki!"

And the fight began. We all watched as Margulis caused Jin to lose his katana with a simple strike. I heard Shion take in a sharp gasp. Margulis swiped at Jin with his katana. Instead of dodging it, Jin grabbed the side of his katana with his hands. Margulis came at him again with his sword, trying to get in another blow. Jin swung his katana around so that the sword hit the blade instead. Jin took his blade back and began the series of clashing and evading maneuvers again. Margulis jumped onto the railing, flipped and struck Jin's katana hard. Jin was forced down towards the floor as he tried force Margulis' sword away from him.

"It's been far too long, Uzuki. This feeling…of exhilaration!" Margulis exclaimed.

"I told you. I won't allow a monster like you to inherit my grandfather's technique," Jin snapped as he kicked Margulis in his stomach.

"Bold words from such a fool!"

Jin and Margulis charged at each other…

And then, a flash of light occurred. Jin was thrown back safely onto his feet as well as Margulis.

"I shouldn't have spent my time running a used bookstore. I regret that now," Jin said quietly.

"I'll make sure you die a painful death, Uzuki! But for now…arise child of darkness!"

**_'Yeshua! I-I'm—'_**

"Margulis…don't do this!" Azaria screamed out loud.

I wasn't the only person looking at her at this point.

"Are you afraid to let the world know what you are?"

Azaria shuddered.

"If you trigger this, you won't get out of here alive!"

_What in the world was going on?_ Margulis smirked.

"Is that a threat?"

A strange smile crept onto my love's features.

"You don't scare me."

Margulis lifted his sword and sent energy hurtling right for me. I attempted to pull energy up to deflect it, but Azaria stepped into the line of fire. The energy hit her dead on, rocking her body backwards.

"Oh my god…" Shion breathed.

Azaria doubled over and coughed violently. Energy began pouring out from her body, gaining intensity with each passing second. It wasn't long before our vision was impeded by light.

"You are such an idiot. I told you not to invoke this."

_Was that another person?_ The light faded…and everything seemed to be normal…except for the fact that there was a woman dressed in black with a scythe to Margulis' neck. I would have enjoyed the irony if I wasn't slightly concerned.

"You wouldn't…"

The woman stepped in front of him with a grace that I had never seen before.

"Of course not. I suggest you run. I will let you."

The woman lifted her scythe and jumped into the air. It didn't take long for Margulis to summon a A.M.W.S. and leave. I cast my attention in the air, searching for the woman. And she was not there…

"Was that Azaria…?" MOMO asked.

I didn't know what to think. _She was right in front of me…meaning she was the woman who chased Margulis off. But something did not add up here._

"Something's not right," I muttered.

"Maybe we will find out when we reach the Zohar."

* * *

Azaria:

My newfound powers had made it easy for me to travel from place to place. Even though I despised my dual nature, it would come in handy. So far, it got Margulis to back away from Yeshua. But now, I was something to be trifled with. In order to keep my charge safe, I would have to stop being nice. I settled down in the middle of the room leading to the containment center for the Zohar.

I willed the power U-DO bestowed to me back into a corner of my mind. I could feel my body returning back to normal. With being normal…came the large amount of fatigue. I crashed down to the floor with a heavy sigh. _Did they suspect something?_

"Azaria, are you ok?" _MOMO._

I straightened up slightly so that I could see her face.

"I-I'm…ok. He…s-sent me here."

It was a lie…and I knew it. Yeshua's face came into view…etched with worry.

'_I am not going to press you for information…at least not how.'_

Two hands helped me back onto my feet and held me close as we walked through the doors to the Zohar. The object of divine hell was situated in the back of the room behind two capsules.

"Looks like we made it in time. Look, that's the Zohar. The original," Jr. commented.

"This place…I saw it in my dream. The cage Feb's sisters were trapped in," Shion muttered.

_Feb's sisters?_

"What cage?"

"Shion. I am detecting faint life signs in the capsules in front of us," KOS-MOS announced.

"Life signs?" Shion asked.

"That is correct. Their design is quite old. However, they are definitely Realians."

_Huh?_ The mist that covered the cages blew away at that moment, revealing two horribly disfigured bodies. It took a lot to keep the contents of my stomach down…but I managed. Shion collapsed to the ground, absolutely horrified by the sight.

"It…it can't be. That's Cecily and Cathe…"

"Wait…you…you're saying that those are Realians?" Jr. asked.

"Jr.? What's wrong?" MOMO asked.

"MOMO, stay back!"

MOMO approached the capsules and saw the same horror that struck Shion and Jr. down.

"Shion…what is that? It's horrible!"

"It's horrible! I can't stand this! I'm…I'm sick of all of this! I just can't take it anymore! I just can't!"

"Shion…" I said sadly.

"Is there any way we can help them?" Yeshua asked.

_Not now. It's too late for them._

"Unfortunately, because they are fused with the system, it appears they have already lost their individual functionality and consciousness. In their current state, separating them from the system would result in complete shutdown," KOS-MOS answered.

I saw the sadness in Yeshua's eyes.

"Bastards! Why'd they do this?" Jr. snapped.

"Because using them in their natural state proved difficult."

All of a sudden, a man dressed in priestly robes appeared above the Zohar.

"It was necessary to isolate their consciousness from the outside world," He said.

"Who the hell are you?" Jr. snapped.

"Why would the leader of the Immigrant Fleet be here?" Jin asked.

_Wait a second…that was the Patriarch!_

"There's really no need for me to answer questions from the likes of you. But very well. The Zohar—that object—originally belonged to us—to Ormus. Yes, since the down of recorded history, we have been its guardians. In turn, we use it in anyway we see fit. That is the way of things," Patriarch responded.

"Ormus…so that's the real name of your organization," Jin mused.

"That's right. Ormus has existed in the shadows since ancient times. Indeed, since before the crucifixion of the messiah. Human beings…no…all life throughout the universe must be guided forward by Ormus and the Zohar. And they shall be led unto a higher plane of existence. That is the mission that God has entrusted to us."

"Damn you!" Jr. and I shouted together.

Shion stood up.

"You…you did this to them for that?"

"What…is there a problem? They are tools, created specifically for that purpose," Patriarch said off-handedly.

"Shut up! I refuse…I refuse to accept this!"

"You refuse? Then, we'll just have to make you accept it."

He activated the Zohar with a mere wave of his hand.

"This power is granted to us by god!" He declared.

The Zohar began to resonate.

"That's…" Shion gasped.

_I heard the voice…no…the song that changed my entire life._

"U-DO!" I screamed, trying to cover my ears.

"Stop the system! Now! If you don't, it's gonna wake up again!" Jr. shouted.

KOS-MOS approached Shion.

"Shion, please stand back. I will destroy the system and cut the bypass to the Zohar," She said.

A gun appeared in KOS-MOS's hands. Shion blocked her way almost immediately.

"KOS-MOS, wait! They're still—"

"Shion. If you interfere, I will be required to take drastic measures."

"No, KOS-MOS."

"Shion, you've got to let her do it! Please!" I begged.

After a moment or two of silence, Shion finally moved off to the side.

"KOS-MOS…fire!"

KOS-MOS immediately opened fire on the bodies in the cages, destroying and killing them both.

"Foolish. Truly foolish. It doesn't matter what you do now. You cannot stop this power," Patriarch declared.

All of a sudden, a huge golden mech emerged and took the Zohar into its torso.

"It can't be! Proto Omega! It's been completed?" Jin exclaimed.

"No!" Yeshua shouted.

"Oh? You know of it. I'm impressed. It seems I may have underestimated you slightly. These past fourteen years have been of great help to us. As has the data from the Conflict. As a result, we now have a symbol of overwhelming power. With this, we will wipe the Gnosis from the cosmos and place the entire star cluster under the jurisdiction of Ormus. Of course, we hardly need anything this overwhelming now, thanks to the U.M.N. and the Federation," Patriarch said rather confidently.

Shion glanced up at him.

"You can't be serious!" I shouted.

"They've managed to reduce the people to a simple mass of spineless weaklings."

Jr. jumped in front of Shion and drew his gun.

"Shion, out of the way!"

Both Jr. and KOS-MOS opened fire at Proto Omega, only to be absorbed by the shield.

"Wasting your time!"

The giant mech released a wave of energy, sending everyone except for me and Yeshua back towards the wall.

"Now…let the festival begin!" Patriarch declared.

Proto Omega descended into the chasm below it. Almost immediately, the area started shaking and crumbling.

"This is bad. We gotta go!" Jr. shouted.

* * *

Five Minutes Later

The Elsa

Azaria:

The Elsa blasted off from it's landing spot and into the atmosphere. As we left the planet, a screen showed it slowly breaking apart in our wake. A tear gently dropped onto my cheek. I…couldn't believe that it was being destroyed. A golden wing burst forth from the planet, sending debris hurtling towards the Federation ships in the area. _Wait…Federation ships?_ They must have undone the protection on the Transfer Columns.

The gold mech fully erupted from the planet moments later, sending a huge shockwave towards the Federation ships. Hundreds of ships exploded almost instantly. _What…have we all done…_

"Tony, get us all out of here," Captain Matthews ordered.

"No…Militia…" Shion whispered.

_Gods…I didn't want this all to happen…_

"They destroyed the entire planet? How the hell could they do that?" Jr. asked.

Shion shook her head and exited the bridge.

"He had this planned from the very beginning…" I said softly.

Jr. touched my shoulder gently.

"I know Militia was your name. I-It's a great loss for many people."

Another tear slipped down my cheek.

"I'm more concerned about chaos."

"I think he may be taking it harder than all of us. Listen, we're heading back to the Kukai Foundation. Please rest. You'll need it."

I nodded and walked out of the bridge. I immediately headed to Yeshua's private quarters. I knew he was in there…he wouldn't want anyone else to see him upset. I walked inside the room and saw him lying in the fetal position in the middle of the bed. His distress hung in the air…like a thick fog.

"Yeshua…"

"It's gone…our home is gone."

"I know…but it's in our hearts now."

_How did that sound? That sounded heartless._

"I saw it coming, Azaria. I knew Ormus was building that thing! I-I can feel their lives being peeled away…"

"It's not your fault…"

"I hate death!" He shrieked.

I jumped.

"I know…"

"My name is Yeshua. My birth name is Yeshua! With my powers, I can make it so that people will never die! Do you hear me, Azaria? Do you hear me, guardian?"

I wanted nothing more than to slap Yeshua, but it wouldn't be right. Instead, I walked over to the bed and touched his arm gently.

"Just let it out, ok? I won't judge you."

I tried to embrace him as best as I could. I watched as his whole body shook with his grief. Right now…he wasn't the only one who shared grief for Militia.

**

* * *

Author's Note: There are officially two chapters left in this fanfic. I have poured my heart and soul into this story. HOWEVER, I feel like I am not getting enough support. My last chapter barely got reviews. BARELY. I feel like stopping altogether, but since I have two chapters left…I decided not to. Now, I would appreciate some more support…if it's not too much to do. After this story is done, I may do another fanfiction. It may have something to do with Yeshua and the Ormus Corporation. But I'm not sure yet. It all depends on the feedback I get for this chapter and the last two chapters in this story.**

The next chapter deals with Azaria's role in the story. This chapter has revealed some things about her and Yeshua's past. It is, of course, filler. But it's action packed filler this time.


	12. Role Reversal

**Author's Note:** If you are offended by religious…stuff, such as the discussion between Shion and Azaria in a later part of the chapter, then you don't need to read this chapter. Nothing happens that won't be recapped in the LAST Chapter. This chapter took me three days to write and over 15 pages of paper to work on. This is the longest chapter ever written by me. People please…I know you have looked at this story…PLEASE REVIEW! I'm starving! On…with chapter 11.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Role Reversal**

The Durandal

1:13 A.M.

Azaria:

_The screams of the dying filled my ears as I waited behind my locked door. Terror held me behind that door…terror that was absolute. Tears poured down my cheeks unbidden for Yeshua's brothers. They didn't deserve to die from U-DO. I wanted to help them…but Yeshua had blocked the door with his energy. The energy made it hard to focus on anything other than my fear._

"_Were you enjoying the screams, guardian?"_

_I backed away from the door towards my bed._

"_Yeshua…why?" I choked out._

_The door swung open gently, followed by a wave of cold air. I backed up onto the bed with a sharp gasp. Yeshua stepped inside of the room slowly. His hair was sticking up slightly by itself…and his eyes…_

_Gods, his eyes were an icy shade of blue. Those beautiful tan lips of his were curled up in a gruesome smile._

"_They deserved it. Besides, I've always wanted to do it."_

What happened to the kind and gentle Yeshua I knew hours ago? If this kept up, I would have to defend myself.

"_Yeshua, you know that isn't right. Murder is wrong."_

_Yeshua gave me a curious look._

"_Is it really? The voice in my head…it grants the heart's desire."_

"_Heart's desire?"_

"_Isn't the heart's desire good? It gave me power. It can give you power too, Azaria."_

Oh gods, I would have to defend myself.

"_I don't need your power, Yeshua. Honestly, I'm fine."_

_Yeshua started towards my bed._

"_You're lying."_

_My breath caught in my throat._

"_No…Yeshua, I'm not lying."_

_He grabbed my arm. I flinched and pulled away._

"_Don't worry. It won't hurt. Trust me."_

_Yeshua placed his hands on my face. Ice shot through my veins, paralyzing every pore. I couldn't move…_

"_Y-Yeshua…s-stop it!"

* * *

_

I shuddered with pain and tears. I had gotten used to crying uselessly. With today's recent tragedies, crying came easily. Our home was gone. The Zohar and U-DO were in Ormus's hands. Memories of Yeshua haunted me to no end. Like Shion, I was so very sick of all of this. I wanted nothing more than to plunge into a huge abyss somewhere. Yeshua's soul was crying…and I had no way to comfort it. Nothing I could say would take the sense of guilt away from him.

_So what could I do now? Well, guardian, you have to do your job._ I glanced out at the Foundation through the Park's observation deck.

"Azaria…"

It sounded a lot like Shion…the voice, I mean. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk to Yeshua's allies. I knew they had a lot of questions for me. I gently wiped my tears away with the back of my hand.

"Yes, Shion?" I said softly.

The Vector Industries employee was looking as sad as the rest of us now. That couldn't possibly be good for her health.

"H-How are you feeling?"

"Not so good right now."

"Uh…that woman with Margulis—"

I looked her straight in the eyes.

"Yes, that was me. That was my transformed state."

"So…you're not human."

I shook my head.

"No…I'm not. chaos…I mean Yeshua's not either."

_There was no use lying now. There were far worse demons out there._

"Yeshua?"

"You have to promise not to tell anyone, Shion. Please…for both of our sakes."

Shion nodded.

"I won't tell anyone, I swear. I owe it to chaos. He's saved my life many times."

That brought a small smile to my lips.

"It's good to hear that."

"So, you say that chaos isn't human? Well…ever since I met him…I had a hunch…"

"He was born with his powers…or should I say created."

"You said his name was Yeshua. What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure what language it came from…but it means 'Jesus'."

"Jesus?"

I nodded. Now I was waiting for her to piece things together. _If Yeshua really was Jesus, then what was I? Or what would that make me?_

"Yes…Jesus."

"That would make you…"

(A/N: Start flashback)

"_Master Anima, why did you give Yeshua that name?"_

"_Because in a few years, someone is going to open Pandora's Box. People will need someone to deliver them."_

"_Deliver them?"_

"_Yeshua means Jesus, my dear."_

"_Jesus?"_

"_He will not be able to do it alone. He will need a guardian."_

"_Me…"_

"_And your real name is Megumi."_

"_Goddess?"_

(A/N: End Flashback in the Middle of a Random, yet important conversation.)

I nodded. Shion merely nodded in return. _Wow…she took that better than I thought._

"Will Yeshua save us? Will he make all of this stop?" She asked.

"I hope so. Losing Old Militia hurt him badly. I'm not sure if he has the will to carry on right now."

"I doubt this will stop him. chaos is strong."

_Yeah…my charge was strong. Stronger than me._

"Yeah. Now…I'll have to ease my own pain."

"That's something all of us will have to do."

"I know."

"You should get some rest, Azaria. You'll gain some time to think."

* * *

3:23 A.M.

I took Shion's advice and went to bed. However, I couldn't rest for long. My memories made it hard to close my eyes. How would I come to terms with my past—Yeshua's mistake? I sat up and ran my hands through my hair. I was in Yeshua's private room on the Durandal. Yeshua, himself, was on the Elsa in his room. Every now and then, I checked his status. He was still upset…but not as much as he was before. By the time his allies gathered up the strength to go to Proto Omega, he would be recovered enough.

The question was whether I would be ready to go with them. I pulled the covers off of the rest of my body and moved my legs over to the side. _Time for another walk._ I stood up and stretched lightly. My body felt heavy from the transformation. I wasn't used to feeling so drained before. My normal transformation took nothing from me. Of course, this was the first time I used the hell Yeshua gave me. Does this mean Margulis would hunt after me?

Without me, Yeshua would lose direction. Ormus would use that to their advantage. I walked over to the mirror and sighed. My hair was a mess. But what truly caught my attention was the black line that wove itself into ivy on the right side of my face. _That wasn't there before._ I touched it gently with her fingertips. It felt warm and soft to the touch, much like normal skin…but in a way, it felt much different. A loud alarm sounded, shattering the peace in the room. I nearly jumped out of my skin with a yelp.

"Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!"

_So…this is my luck._ The intruders had to be U-TIC. _Yay, and I was sitting in the room in front of the entrance to the second half of the residence hall._ I glanced down at myself. Fortunately for me, I was still in the suit I wore to go to the park. _Ok…let's get out of here._ I pulled my soft shoes out from under the bed and slipped them on. Most likely, the U-TIC Organization had its soldiers combing the hall for me. I would have to take another route out.

_An air vent, maybe?_ I glanced around the ceiling, looking for the tattletale iron bars of a medium-sized air vent. Ironically enough, there was one above the bed. I stepped up onto it and grabbed onto the bars. With a small huff, I pulled the bars off and dropped them off to the side. _Ok…it's awfully dark up there._ I tapped into my energies and made my hands into the shape of a circle. A small orb burst into existence in the middle of my hands and began giving off light. I released it and willed it to float up into the air duct. It looked safe enough.

I took a leap up and grabbed onto the edge of the inside of the duct. It didn't take much to pull me up into one of the most spacious air ducts ever. _Wow…it's like Jr. expected me to escape in one of his air ducts. Maybe he does it for fun._ I chuckled softly at that thought. _Ok, Azaria…focus. Everyone's on the Elsa. If Margulis was smart, he would confine them there._ I knew the ducts would not be directly connected to the Elsa.

Yeshua told me that when I first toured the Durandal. Therefore, my main destination was the Docks area. I started crawling along the ducts as carefully as I could. However, I couldn't just crawl to the Docks area from here. The Durandal was a huge ship, literally. That's why it had trains. _Ok…let's try for something closer._ When the first duct opening came up, I stopped and took a moment to peek. I was above the first part of the hall filled with soldiers.

"Did you see her yet?"

"No, sir. It doesn't seem like she's on the ship."

"She's on the ship. Master Margulis will not tolerate failure."

_Ha. Good luck finding me._

"Hey, I just found something!"

_No way. I might…have spoken too soon._

"What is it?"

"An open air duct! Target sighted!"

_Damn!_ I took off crawling at a faster pace.

"Open fire!"

Bullets whizzed by my body, ricocheting off of the walls of the duct. Normally, I'm not scared of bullets…but I couldn't help it this time. Something hot hit my leg, dropping me to the bottom of the duct. _Ok…I had to bail out. Do something, Azaria! Do something now!_ Power jumped to the palms of my hands…

Seconds later, I found myself falling onto the floor of what looked like the train stop for the Residence Hall. I hit the tile a little harder than what I was hoping for, jarring the air out of my lungs.

"Freeze!"

U-TIC soldiers surrounded me in a wide circle with guns pointed in my direction. I sucked in large gulps of air, trying to regain some kind of focus. _Get up, Azaria. You've got to defend yourself._ The pain in my leg was lessening, but it would be a hindrance. _All right, next course of action. Let's see how my new form works._ I tapped the corner of my mind where I forced U-DO to reside and drew it out. Warm velvety energy poured over my body, relaxing away the strain in my muscles.

I reveled in it…and at the same time…feared it. I lifted my right arm and flexed it gently. Black whip-like tendrils shot out of it and lashed out at the guards. With each lash, the guards turned to dust and blew off into the air. Within moments, I was alone in the train stop area. I sat up and glanced at my hand. It was glowing slightly and sported the same mark that was on my face.

_Weird. Very weird._ I stood up carefully, hating the dull ache in the back of my right leg. _Ok…let's get to the Docks.

* * *

_

The Elsa

chaos:

I had to admit I was surprised that U-TIC would pull a stunt like this. I knew they were here for Azaria, but I had no idea why. I wasn't sure if they had gotten her. She was the only one asleep on the Durandal.

"I hope Azaria's ok. I don't think she would be able to fight all of them by herself," MOMO said softly.

_Maybe she could…but there was still the matter of the guns. We may be angelic, but certain things can kill us._ I wanted nothing more than to break out and retrieve her. However, I was too tired to do much fighting. Grief had torn me apart energy wise.

"I think she's ok," I said softly.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Jr. declared.

_Wait…Little Master had a plan? Someone call Gaignun, hurry!_

"What is it?" Shion asked.

"If you can get Azaria off to Second Militia, we can clear them out of here before they can catch wind of her departure."

_Wow that was pretty vague. It could work. _The question was how I was going to reach her. I couldn't sense her through the bracelet.

"It sounds crazy enough to work," Ziggy commented.

_Exactly._

"Hey chaos, is there a way to display the outside of the Elsa?" Shion asked.

I nodded and settled into my favorite chair on the Bridge. I pressed a few keys in and watched as a large screen showing the Docks area came up. The train just happened to pull into the station too. Funny thing was, the soldiers were all over it, searching for something.

"You don't think she's on there, do you?" MOMO asked.

"I think they are trying to look for her. That means she must have gotten out of the Residence Hall," I said softly.

_Where are you, Azaria? Where are you hiding?_ It took a while for the commotion to settle down outside. Apparently, she wasn't on the train.

"chaos, open the hatch."

_Azaria?_ I punched in a few buttons and brought the view up to the overhead hatch. Sure enough, my love was kneeling down on the top of the spaceship.

"Ok. The hatch is unlocked."

Moments later, Azaria was standing in the middle of the bridge, looking slightly rattled.

"Azaria, thank goodness you're ok," MOMO said softly.

"What's going on? How in the world did U-TIC get on the Durandal?" Azaria asked.

Jr. shrugged.

"I'm not sure how they managed to get on the ship, but I imagine some people are going to get fired."

_Heh._

"They're looking for you," I said softly.

Azaria frowned.

"I've got to get out of here. You're all in danger because of me."

_Well, technically…I'm not in danger. Margulis wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole (as much as he'd like to claim differently)._ As for my allies…

"You can take the shuttle out to Second Militia. We'll make sure you can get away without suspicion. We'll take care of the soldiers here and swing by to get you afterwards," Jr. offered.

"Sounds like a reasonable plan. Are you sure you'll be ok here?"

_Did anyone notice the eager glow in Jr.'s eyes besides me?_ Jr. nodded.

"We'll be fine. Just take care of yourself."

Azaria nodded.

"Understood. Take care."

I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. I exited the Bridge and walked a small distance away from the doors.

"Azaria, I won't you to be careful. Please…"

My guardian gave me a pained look.

"Yeshua, you don't know why Margulis wants me."

"I don't need to know. Honestly, I don't want you to go out there. You don't have to follow Jr.'s plan."

"Yeshua, stop it. You know it's necessary for me to go. Your friends are destined to save the universe. They need to survive."

"We're destined to survive as well, guardian."

"Yeshua, I will be fine. I can handle myself. Please believe me."

"You are my guardian!" I snapped.

"Not anymore."

_What?_

"What are you saying?"

"Yeshua…just let me do this. Please. I will explain later."

* * *

Azaria:

I could see the shock in Yeshua's eyes. I knew what I said had to hurt him somehow. He was behaving somewhat irrationally with everything going on all at once. I couldn't explain to him about my situation until things had calmed down.

"Yeshua, I've got to go before they search the Elsa. I'll come back."

I reached in and kissed him on the lips. Yeshua pulled away a moment later and squeezed my hands.

"Don't die on me. Now go."

I nodded and headed up towards the airlock. On my way in, I noted that they didn't have a guard posted near the door. This would work to my advantage. I pressed the button to open the door and was met with…

"Freeze!"

…A gun pointed in my face. I was immediately snatched out onto the catwalk and dragged out onto the middle of the docks area.

"Azaria!"

_Not in front of Yeshua…_

"Let me go!" I snarled, trying to wrestle out of the soldier's grip.

"Wow, she's really cute. Too bad Margulis wants her."

All of a sudden, a hand squeezed one of my breasts roughly, followed by laughter. _And I said to myself that I wouldn't kill after the Residence Hall. I guess I LIED._ I pulled away from the soldier and sent a black tendril hurtling right for him. Several guns went off simultaneously, leaving me with no time to study my handiwork. I pulled my power up into a shield around me and watched as the bullets smacked into it harmlessly and vanished.

It wasn't long before they realized that shooting me was fruitless. I lowered by shield and smirked. More tendrils burst forth from the ground and turned the guards who didn't run into dust. _Ok…get moving!_ I crossed the situation over to elevator and sighed. I hope U-TIC doesn't try to make it to Second Militia. The elevator doors in front of me slid open with a hiss. _Let's go._ I stepped into the elevator and waved.

* * *

The Durandal

6:57 A.M.

chaos:

I wasn't the only one who was enjoying righteous murder. It didn't take us long to dispatch all of Margulis's troops and set the ship back in order. I was still concerned about Azaria. I just wish I was there with her. And what did she mean by saying that she wasn't my guardian? Anima had appointed her as my guardian when I came of age. Maybe she was trying to point out that I had grown up. _Had I grown up really? Maybe._

"Mary, Shelley, what's the status of the Durandal?" Jr. asked.

"It appears that the U-TIC Organization has withdrawn from space around the Federation," Shelley announced.

_Hmm…they left too quickly. I doubt Margulis would let his prey go so easily._

"I don't think he let us go that easily," I said softly.

"You mean you don't think they let Azaria go easily," Ziggy commented.

_That's exactly what I meant._

"Yeah…I think that. Jr., how soon can we depart for Second Militia?"

"Well…maybe in a day or two."

_In a day or two?_

"What do you mean…in a day or two?" Shion asked.

"U-TIC left us with a nice surprise in our Dock and Residence Hall areas. We will have to repair the air system there. Until that is fixed…the Elsa nor the Durandal can be launched," Jr. muttered.

"You've got to be kidding, Jr.! Proto Omega is wiping out hundreds of lives out in space!" I snapped.

"I know that! But there's not much I can do at this point."

I blew a heavy sigh.

"I…understand. Do what you can."

* * *

Second Militia

Azaria:

I walked out into the Space Port as calmly as I could. It was partially filled with people staring at the monitors filled with images of Proto Omega. _Gods…Proto Omega. That's where I needed to be. Instead, I was running from the U-TIC Organization with no direction at all._ I had to find some different clothes and a place to heal my wound. I had to find some different clothes and a place to heal my wound. Yeshua had a condo somewhere in the government district. _Well…I was wasting time._

I started past the row of monitors showing the giant body of Proto Omega towards the exit.

"This just in…a dangerous byproduct made by the infamous scientist Anima has escaped from the Immigrant Fleet's labs…"

I stopped in my tracks. _Margulis didn't…_

I turned around…and saw my picture on the screen. _He did. I couldn't believe he did it. Get out of here, Azaria! Hurry! Move!_ I turned back towards the exit and quickened my pace. Margulis portrayed me as a byproduct. _I swear that when this is all over, I would put my foot so far up Margulis's ass…that he wouldn't be able to take a breath without feeling my wrath._ Surprisingly, it was raining outside. I found that rather funny and rather suspicious. I scanned the crowd, looking for tattletale signs of guns. I didn't see anything…

"Freeze, monster!"

_My luck sucks today._ I turned in the direction of the voice and saw soldiers charging through the crowd for me. My powers would attract too much attention. I took off in the other direction, grinding my teeth to keep the pain away. If my leg hurt before, it hurt like hell now. I had no idea where I was going, but I think that didn't matter much.

"Stop that woman!"

The sound of gunfire made me speed up, which was rather hard to do when you're trying to weave through people. All of a sudden, a huge mechanical leg crashed down yards in front of me. I tried to slow down quickly…

And fell forward onto my face. I rolled over and glanced up into the cockpit of an A.W.M.S. owned by Ormus. I scrambled backwards on my hands and feet, paralyzed in fear.

"Surrender now, Azaria."

_Ok…so they brought the mechs down. They really wanted me._ A large robotic arm swooped down and grabbed me. I struggled against its grip with a loud snarl. _Now I would have to consider what options I had against the U-TIC._ _I could destroy them and go on an unchecked rampage. Or I could just become a psychotic hunter. I liked the hunter option better._

"Aw…she's just a woman. Why does the boss want her so much?"

_Oh…because I'm a huge flaw in their plan.

* * *

_

Durandal

chaos:

Jr. was right about the extent of the damage. It would set us back a few days. However, I was more or less concerned about Azaria. I kept sensing that something was going wrong on Second Militia. _Call it a sixth sense…but I could feel death and destruction._ I hated worrying. But there was so much going on that it was hard for me to keep up. I felt lost.

_How do you feel lost? I mean, you're present in this reality, but in your mind, you're drowning in a deep, deep sea._ I stretched my arms over my head gently. I wasn't wearing my bracelet anymore. I stopped wearing it after Azaria said she wasn't my guardian anymore. Besides, it stopped working after we came back from Old Militia. _By running to Second Militia, was she trying to tell me something?_ _Was she trying to tell me that I needed to grow up? But I am grown up…I think. Damn…she's trying to tell me something…

* * *

_

Second Militia: U.M.N. Center

10:57 A.M.

Azaria:

I had lost the soldiers hours ago, which allowed me to do a few tasks. One of which was to change into some different clothes. Second of which was to make sure Dr. Mizrahi was in the U.M.N. Center this morning. And lastly, to make it the center safely. All of which took me well over an hour. I walked into the main office room and behind many of the monitors that now displayed Proto Omega again. My destination was the analysis room, which was in the back of the office area. I entered the room without much suspicion…

"Dr. Mizrahi, it is good to see you," I said softly.

Juli Mizrahi turned around with a startled look on her face.

"Oh…may I help you?"

"Yes, you can. I'm Azaria, one of the people who used to help Jr. relate to Sakura."

"You're Anima's…protégé?"

"No, I'm the guardian he assigned to protect his protégé."

Dr. Mizrahi smiled.

"You've grown so much. I thought you were killed in the Conflict."

"It's natural for everyone to think that. I was snatched during that time."

"So why are you here?"

_Ah…to the heart of the matter._

"I…know you specialize in cybernetics, but I need you to look over me. Please."

"Ok…go into that room."

Dr. Mizrahi was getting ready to ask me some personal questions…I just knew it. And yet, I walked through the door into the room she pointed out.

"Thank you, Juli. Truly."

"Stand in the center and relax."

"Ok."

I stood in the middle of the room and willed myself to relax. Relaxing didn't come easy after hours of looking over your shoulder. Dr. Mizrahi walked in and stood in the center of the platform that held a terminal.

"Normally, the U.M.N. Center isn't used for human analysis. So, far you to beg me to analyze you must mean something's wrong. So…please…tell me."

_Do you want my entire life story?_

"There's a lot to tell."

Dr. Mizrahi chuckled and tapped a few keys on the terminal. All of a sudden, I floated up off of the ground and was immediately surrounded by an orange field.

"It seems like your body is undergoing some kind of change…"

"As I thought," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"I was saying that I thought that might explain what's happening to me."

"The U-TIC Organization is trying to hunt you down. Why is that, Azaria?"

"You don't miss a beat, do you?"

"I try not to."

"Margulis wants me because of the power I hold. I am the only person who has been actively infected with U-DO's 'poison'. I am also one of the rare survivors of a direct gnosis attack. Basically, I was touched by a gnosis and lived to tell about it…plus I've gained some power from it."

"I see. Being close to the Zohar must have activated those energies."

"That's what bothers me, Dr. Mizrahi."

Juli frowned.

"Not that the powers aren't a blessing…but…"

"I'm not like Yeshua. I wasn't born with this power. I never wanted all of this!"

"Calm down. Now what do mean you weren't born with this power?"

_That's exactly what I meant._

"I was born a normal human being. Anima handpicked me out of his many daughters to undergo experiments. He molded me into what he needed as a guardian."

"It sounds horrible."

_It was._

"But it was worth it. I loved protecting Yeshua."

"You speak of this person in the past tense."

"That's because I'm not his guardian anymore."

"Did you give up on him? I don't understand…"

"Times are changing. I no longer feel like I can be his guardian anymore. Ever since Margulis forced my transformation back on Old Militia…I feel inadequate."

"You mean you feel afraid or you are afraid."

I gave her a strange look.

"I am not afraid."

"You're still human. You are afraid."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are, Azaria."

_Am I really? Is that why I tore myself away? Is that why I'm starting to enjoy death?_

"Maybe I am…ok? I'm scared that my powers would hurt Yeshua."

"Then maybe it's time for your roles to reverse. By the way, are you aware of the bullet lodged in your right leg?"

_Yeah I hadn't forgotten about it._

"No, I'm aware. Say, do you have a car I can borrow?"

Dr. Mizrahi tapped a few keys on the terminal. The orange field around me disappeared, letting me back down onto the floor.

"Yeah, I do. I don't expect you to bring it back in good condition with U-TIC hunting you."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Mizrahi. Words cannot express my gratitude."

* * *

Durandal: A.M.W.S. Hanger

chaos:

The A.M.W.S. Hanger was just like I remembered it months ago. The only difference was that E.S.'s occupied the Hanger now. So…what was I doing down there? I was taking fate into my own hands. Jr. would chew me out in several different languages for this. _Oh well. It's not like he held any dominion over me._ One E.S. in particular held my attention: E.S. Dinah. I wanted to get KOS-MOS to pilot it for me, but that would take far too attention.

I climbed onto it and popped open the cockpit. It slid open with a hiss. I dropped down into the pilot's seat and pressed the close button. Machinery activated with the touch of my fingers upon the keyboard.

"Time to go."

* * *

Back to Second Militia

Azaria:

The ride in the car was doing well to settle my spirits. All paranoia had drained from my senses, making it easy to relax. The classical music helped as well. I was speedily heading towards Yeshua's condo, where I could take time to heal. Healing was very important, considering that I had lost a lot of blood. Maybe that was Margulis's tactic: to overwhelm me. He had the overwhelming part down, which made me wonder if he would try again.

A slight movement out of the corner of my left eye made me jump slightly. _I just had to speak so soon._ I sat up in the driver's seat fully and glanced around. I was the main highway that ran along the length of the massive city. All of a sudden, a mech crashed down yards in front of me. It took seconds for a horrific car accident to start. I grabbed the wheel and quickly pressed the button for manual drive. My reaction came far too late.

The car slammed into the car in front of it, instantly throwing my unrestrained body out of the windshield at 130+ mph. I flew through the air like a rocket. And for a while, I couldn't hear to see anything. _Damn…was this the end?_ My body hit the ground violently and rolled over a few times. The pain was unbelievable…but I wasn't dead_. Yet. Get up, Azaria! Get up! Just get up, please!_ The little voice in my head pleaded frantically.

"No…I c-can't…"

"Subject appears to be severely wounded. Send in a squad without guns!"

_They are coming to get you. You will truly die if they get you!_

"I…can't," I murmured.

_Shut up! You can! Now sit up!_ My arms began the difficult process of lifting my torso up. My vision began to return slowly but surely. I could now see the pavement that I had crash-landed on. Blood splatters were all over the place. _Nice. Get onto your feet, Azaria. Slowly now. Don't rush._ I staggered slowly onto my feet and glanced around. Soldiers were in a tight ring around me, holding out swords. _I was in bad shape. Bad shape doesn't begin to even cover it. I knew I was bleeding, I just didn't know how bad._ It felt like a bone in my arm had been broken. That didn't matter much now. I needed to survive.

"Freeze!"

I hissed loudly and made a clawing motion with my hands. _Come and get me. I dare you to._ It was only one soldier that dashed out of the circle to come at me. He swung his blade down for my shoulder with a loud yell. I caught it with my right hand and yanked it away without a thought. I swiped at his face with my left hand, leaving behind deep gauges of blood. The man screamed in agony, hands frantically trying to cover his face.

_Strike his heart! Go! You don't have much energy left._ With unheard of precision, I plunged my hand into the man's chest and pulled his heart out. I threw the heart at the rest of the men and gathered up my energies. I sent the tendrils out to do my dirty work again. Blood and ashes flew onto my body. I imagine I must look like I've been to hell and back. _Go…fly. Fly to safety._ Wings unfurled from my back and I found myself flying…

* * *

12:37 P.M.

I was relieved when I finally walked into Yeshua's condo, bloody and broken. I was scared that the blasted corporation that drove me here would find me. But this place had the aura of Yeshua in here. I felt protected. _Still, I hope the Gods protect me here…because nothing else will._ The first order of business was to get clean. I felt so dirty. I limped into the bathroom as best as I could with two injured legs. I pushed the door closed behind me and pushed the shower curtain aside.

I fumbled with the knobs for the water almost mindlessly. The shower roared to life, sending warm streams of water into the bathtub. I peeled what was left my clothing off and stood up carefully. A wave of dizziness washed over me, making me stumble back onto the toilet. _Standing wasn't a good idea._ I climbed into the tub slowly, making an audible sigh as warm water washed over my figure. I weakly pulled the shower curtain back into place and curled up into a little ball.

Rivulets of blood streamed down my face, mingling with the fresh tears that poured freely from my eyes. _I was so tired…so, so tired. Tears were the only thing that I could do that wouldn't involve blood. Well, not in the literal sense._ The soft sensation of feathers danced among the length of my arms. A small glance downward told me that my wings had unfurled themselves. _I had almost died hours ago. Death…it was getting closer and closer everyday. Sadly enough, I was human. Well…in some way…I was._

I stayed in the shower for what seemed like forever. (If forever meant the hot water ran out…) I sat up slowly and turned the knobs off. I would need plenty of rest to heal my injuries. _Would…I have enough peace to heal? Maybe._ I climbed out of the bathtub. There was a shelf full of towels just above me. I pulled one down and wrapped it around my body. I figured I could reach the bedroom by crawling…

_Oh, have some dignity._ I chuckled softly and climbed back to a standing position. My legs shook slightly, but managed to hold my weight. I limped to the bathroom door and opened it. Slightly warm air met my body like a blanket. Yeshua's bedroom was around the corner. It didn't take me long to reach it. I flicked on a light switch…

Yeshua's room was painted a midnight shade of blue with imprints of feathers contained within it. For such a small person, he had a huge bed and an elegant dresser in the corner. _He was very much a bachelor. Very, very much._ I limped over to the dresser and pulled open the first drawer. This must be where Yeshua kept his pj's, for his small shorts and long T-shirts were in abundance. _There was no way in the world that I would ever fit into his tiny shorts._

I pulled out one of his T-shirts, which were surprisingly long. I dropped my towel and pulled my shirt over my head. Cotton felt so much better than blood. _Honestly._ I moved over to Yeshua's bed and collapsed down upon it. My eyes immediately fluttered closed as soon as my body made contact with the mattress.

"Yeshua…thank you…"

* * *

The Next Day

9:23 A.M.

chaos:

I guided the E.S. Dinah into Second Militia's atmosphere and brought up a communications screen.

"Dial Representative Helmer."

Almost instantly, Helmer's face appeared on the screen.

"Good Morning, Yeshua. Last time I checked, you were supposed to be angry with us."

_You have an amazing sense of humor in the morning, Helmer._

"Well, I changed my mind. I am very twisted that way, you see."

"So, what's going on? I heard the Durandal took some damage and Azaria's on the run."

_What?_

"Azaria's in trouble?"

"I sent forces to retrieve her from the U-TIC, but they've been unsuccessful. No one knows where she is."

_I knew something was wrong. I should have left sooner…_

"I know she's alive."

"Maybe she made it to your apartment."

_Maybe._

"Listen Helmer…call my apartment for me. Tell Azaria I will be waiting at the space port."

"I will."

I turned the communications screen off and cast my attention back to landing.

* * *

Azaria:

Loud ringing shook me out of my sleep. _Maybe my wishes for peace weren't granted._ My eyes shot open and darted across the room. Hovering above Yeshua's bedside table was a communications window that read: Call from Representative Helmer. _Helmer! He knew I was alive._ I scrambled across the bed and touched the screen. Helmer's face appeared on the screen instantly.

"Oh, Azaria, it seems like you're in one piece."

"Yeah…fortunately."

"Yeshua's worried about you."

_I knew it was._

"Where is he?"

"Entering Second Militia's atmosphere. He told me tell to you to meet him at the Space Port."

"I'm not sure if I can make it to the Space Port without incident."

"I can send over a force to escort you."

"No…that will attract too much attention. How are the highways looking?"

_I had to be crazy to think about jumping in another car, especially after yesterday. Maybe some part of me liked hurtling out of a hunk of metal at over a hundred miles-per-hour?_

"They are fine, right now."

"Good. I need a vehicle and complete monitoring of the air around the highway and the Space Port. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I will have a car over at Yeshua's apartment in a few minutes. Be ready."

"Thank you, Helmer."

The screen winked off. _Thanks the gods for Yeshua's political friends._ Before I got going again, I would have to check the status of my body. I was supposed to have an automatic healing system much like Yeshua's. True to Anima's word, my injuries were gone. Even the broken ribs. _Nice._ _Great, you've eluded death again._ I slid off of the bed and back onto my feet. I had to admit I loved that my body was back in shape again. It really sucked having to crawl up those stairs to get here.

I walked over to the dresser and searched through the drawers for something that I could wear outside. Much to my surprise, Yeshua had one of his old skin tight space suits in there. _What about the orange vest? Oh…just my luck!_ I fished both pieces out and changed into it quickly. I wondered back into the bathroom to take a glance at the mirror. My hair was slightly frizzy, but otherwise was fine.

My skin tone was actually back to normal, instead of the deathly pale shade it was for most of the day yesterday. The strange vine mark had actually spread down my neck. _Interesting._ Overall, I didn't look so bad. I ran a hand through my hair and walked out of the room. _Boots…I need boots._ I found Yeshua's shoes in a closet near the door. I quickly pulled on a pair of orange boots. _Good. Very good. I would have to talk to Yeshua about his taste in clothes…maybe.

* * *

_

9:41 A.M.

Helmer had a rather luxurious car waiting for me downstairs. _Wow, the special treatment._ The moment I sat down in it, fear gripped my chest. I glanced around quickly and saw nothing. _Ok…why am I scared?_ I entered a few keys in the keyboard next to the steering wheel and leaned back in the chair. The car pulled off and began following the predetermined route to the Space Port. _Unlike before…I couldn't get myself to rest. Something just kept lingering in the back of my mind._

"I hope Helmer kept his promise…"

* * *

chaos:

"I can't believe you just took an E.S. like that."

_Here goes Little Master's tirade. I had expected more of a screaming curse match. Oh well._

"It was going to take too long for me to wait for the Durandal to be repaired. Besides Azaria's had some trouble down here."

"She's ok, isn't she? Don't think that she will lessen my wrath, cuz I'll—"

"From what I heard from President Helmer, she's just fine. I am waiting to catch up with her."

"And when you do, we will have to talk about your recklessness."

"You of all people should know that I am not reckless. I'm just crazy."

Jr. laughed.

"Get back here safe, old friend. We're going to need you soon."

"I know."

I pressed a button on the keyboard in front of me and ran my hand through my white hair. He meant he would need me in regards to Proto Omega. I turned away from the wall filled with monitors. I had to admit I had the urge to kick Patriarch's ass.

"Yeshua!"

My gaze fixed in the direction of the voice. Of course, I knew who it was…but why would Azaria say my name out loud? The answer came in a line of U-TIC soldiers forming a line between me and her. Several loud clicks told me that they had grown beyond keeping her alive. Azaria skidded to a stop.

"…Oh…" was all that come out of her mouth before they opened fire.

"No!"

I forced power out towards Azaria to protect her from the bullets that would destroy her body. Light filled the port for a few moments and vanished. The line of guards that threatened her were no more and as for witnesses…let's just say there were none. (No, I didn't kill them.)

"Yeshua…you saved me," Azaria said tearfully.

I ran up to her and touched her face.

"I almost lost you. Gods, that was scary."

She smiled softly.

"I guess our roles have been reversed."

_Huh?_

"What do you mean?"

Azaria shook her head and fell forward. I caught her easily, but when I tried to get her to look at me again, I noticed that she had passed out. _Did she pass out from exhaustion? And what did she mean, 'our roles have been reversed'?_ I had to get her back to the E.S. I scooped her up into my arms and started through the gate to the docks.

And then it dawned on me: I was now the guardian and she was my charge.

I had to protect her.

Gods, help me.


End file.
